"This day will always be hard, it will never be easy to be close to that place where our lives broke apart. You are strong at this broken place. Compassion took hold of this city, and it was “a mighty force.Our support and love for you will never waver,promised the victims. We will never forget what this day means to you.”Former Mayor Thomas Menino

"The city’s recovery during the past year was “an enduring example of the power of the common cause, indeed, the power of love itself, That’s what community is . . . and I am so proud to be a part of this one.”Governor Deval Patrick