When planes hit the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001, Fred Mahe thought his office cubicle on the 77th floor of the second tower had been entirely vaporized, including the photos he had tacked to the walls. Mahe himself was not hurt or killed in the attacks, as he was still on his way to work when they took place. However, he was convinced that he would never see a photo he had kept from his friends’ wedding ever again.

He was wrong.

According to an article recently published by ABC News, the photo finally found its way back to Mahe this year, a day after the 13th anniversary of that day of terror. The picture, which shows Mahe celebrating at a wedding with a bride, a groom, and several other guests, was found amongst the rubble and ash of Ground Zero in 2001.

At the time, college professor Elizabeth Stringer Keefe vowed to return the photo to its original owner. Over the past 13 years, she has posted the photo on social media sites, asking for retweets and shares to help find the owner. This year, the photo got over 35,000 retweets and 12,000 favorites on Twitter, earning national attention for Stringer Keefe and her epic search. A co-worker eventually sent the story to Mahe, who contacted Stringer Keefe on Friday, September 12 to confirm that the photo belonged to him.

The two shared an emotional moment on the phone that same day, and Mahe has since called Stringer Keefe “the best of humanity” for her persistence and her willingness to show so much care and compassion for others.

Christine Loredo, the bride pictured in Mahe’s photo, has also spoken up about Stringer Keefe and the story, calling the photo a “great memento of resilience,” and recalling how worried her and her husband were about Mahe on the day of the attacks. She also said that Stringer Keefe’s effort to return the photo gave her “confidence in humanity.”

For Stringer Keefe, though, finding the owner of the photograph that somehow survived the destruction of 9/11 was a natural impulse.

“There’s so much beauty and happiness in the photo, and whatever relationship it had to 9/11, I wanted to care for it until I could return it to its owner,” she said.