Today has been my birthday. Many great things have happened on this day over the years. One year, on Kauai, the Mrs. and I actually saw the green flash at sunset. A fantastic omen.

This year, my friends, wife, and daughters have made me a perfect day, and on top of it there is a miracle in the world -- clearly visible from where I once went to school, worked, played, and loved:

David Watta, 42, a vice president at a travel media company, was headed home to New Jersey on the Weehawken Ferry as the plane went down. His ferry immediately changed course and headed toward the crash site. Shortly after it arrived, he said, passengers from the downed flight began to come aboard the ferry.

"We were holding people, hugging them, reassuring them, holding their hands, warming them with our body heat," he said.

"We provided cell phones so they could call loved ones. A lot of them were so cold that they couldn’t dial, so we dialed for them. I would say that everyone on the ferry were heroes for the day. They were all civilians who stepped up in a time of need to help their fellow citizens."