Channel of Peace by Kevin Tuerff

Author:Kevin Tuerff
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781632991218
Publisher: River Grove Books
Published: 2017-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

____________

One Year Later—Pay It Forward 9/11

When we left Gander, the volunteers said our gratitude was enough and repayment for the food or phone calls wasn’t necessary. Their generosity provided a beautiful example of how little things can make a big difference.

Like many people, I was changed by 9/11. However, I didn’t succumb to fear of new terrorist attacks, perhaps because of the blessing I witnessed in Gander. My religious faith was rekindled as a result of the experience. I soon started attending weekly Mass again. Even though I moved farther away, outside central Austin, I decided to stick with the University Catholic Center, my parish home that had helped me during my time of need in the early 1990s. I always felt welcome there. My prayer life was focused on peace.

On the first anniversary of the attacks, in 2002, I wanted to go back to Gander, as some come from aways did. But the cost and time for me to travel from Austin to Gander would have been greater than a round-trip airfare to Paris.

I wanted to do something to offer my gratitude, but what? Sitting at my office desk, an idea hit me. I borrowed an idea from the book and movie Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This touching fictional work demonstrated how a young boy could start a movement that promoted kindness to strangers. I wondered if there was a way to use that concept to demonstrate my gratitude for Gander. The country was still anxious and angry about 9/11, but perhaps we could give people hope.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.