You provided us with the only possible remedy

Days after 9/11, a letter of thanks

A mother and daughter hold hands during a remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon memorial September 11, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

On 11th September 2001, as the world stood still in horror, more than 250 planes bound for the United States were diverted to the safety of Canada in a coordinated effort known as Operation Yellow Ribbon. Nearly 40,000 passengers, confused and weary, suddenly found themselves grounded on unfamiliar shores, most unaware of the devastating events unfolding until they stepped onto Canadian soil. Among them was Douglas Gordon, one of many who had journeyed into uncertainty, only to be met with the warmth and kindness of strangers when it was needed most. Days later, after finally returning home, Gordon wrote the following letter of heartfelt thanks to his Canadian hosts.

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September 16th, 2001

St. Pius X
Catholic Community
16 Smithville Crescent
St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 2V2

Dear Father Bolton and all the Parishioners of St. Pius X,

I was one of the thousands of air travelers who descended on St. John’s urgently on September the 11th. We landed in a state of uncertainty and fear for our loved ones, not even fully aware of the nature and extent of the day’s horrors. We had been nearly nineteen hours on the airplane when we finally emerged, disoriented and apprehensive, as refugees in your community, knowing that our numbers must be overwhelming.

We were met by the sympathetic and friendly faces of Red Cross and Salvation Army volunteers where we were registered and given nourishment, news, and access to free telephones so that we might contact our families. We were sent out by busses to various community centers already feeling the friendly warmth of the people of St. John’s, not realising this was only a hint of what was yet to come. It was thus that I came to St. Pius X.

You greeted us with much more than a sense of duty or a simple desire to do one’s part in a time of crisis but rather with an open enthusiasm and empathy that can only come from profound goodness of spirit. It cannot be feigned nor simulated. You graciously provided us with not only all of our physical needs, but also with the only possible remedy for the sense of evil that enveloped us—your frank and honest good will. You have truly demonstrated the power of good over evil and I will hold all of you in my highest esteem for the remainder of my days.

Though I have enclosed a donation to St. Pius X with this letter, please rest assured that I understand that the only way I can repay my debt to you is by passing on your kindnesses to others and keeping your example with me forever. Please know that you have created with your goodness, ambassadors all over the world as each of us returns home with your message. I can only believe that there is no more powerful means to combat evil in our societies.

With my profound regards,

Douglas A. Gordon, MD

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Excerpted from The Book of Letters: 150 Years of Private Canadian Correspondence, compiled and edited by Paul and Audrey Grescoe. Published in 2002 by Macfarlane Walter & Ross.