Reader,

“On September 11, I always take the day off. I want to be in a peaceful, quiet place praying. It is a day I both mourn and celebrate.”

– Genelle Guzman-McMillan, 9/11 survivor


“It’s the nature of the world that most people have moved on, but the people directly involved with 9/11, for them, twice a day it’s 9/11.”

– Robert Reeg, former FDNY firefighter


“I still have the shoes I wore to work that day. The soles are melted, and they’re caked in ash. I keep them in a shoebox with the word ‘deliverance’ written all around it. They’re kind of like my ark, a reminder of God’s presence and the life I owe to him.”

– Stanley Praimnath, 9/11 survivor


“My father, Norberto, was a pastry chef at ­Windows on the World in Tower One. For 10 years, he made many fancy and famous ­desserts, but the sweetest dessert he made was the marble cake he made for us at home… Whenever we parted, Poppi would say, ‘Te amo. Vaya con Dios.’ And this morning, I want to say the same thing to you, Poppi. ‘I love you. Go with God.'”

—Catherine Hernandez at the World Trade Center site in 2008


John Certalic

johncertalic.com

Director – Caring for Others

Podcaster –You Were Made for This