We All Stand on the Shoulders of Someone Who Believed in Us

There are some writing prompts that are difficult because there are simply too many people to choose from. “We all stand on the shoulders of someone who believed in us” is one of those.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated Mississippi in 2005, I helped lead a nonprofit organization that coordinated recovery efforts. It was meaningful work, but it took a tremendous toll. I was physically exhausted. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol reminded me that I could not keep living at that pace.

I resigned my leadership position and stepped away from the church I was serving. I needed time to heal.

My family had lived in Denver during the 1980s. This time, I returned alone. My wife and I had divorced years earlier, and I arrived in Colorado in 2006 hoping for a fresh start. I accepted a part-time appointment to serve a small church and found an accounting job at Cooper Lighting.

What I did not expect to find was a family.

Terry and Darlene worked in the cubicles just in front of mine. Before long, we became close friends. We enjoyed going out to eat, attending shows, and discovering that we shared a love for murder mysteries. Their friendship gave me something I had been missing for a long time—laughter.

Then I discovered the Gallop Café.

It was a small, intimate restaurant owned by Glen and David. The food was wonderful, but it was the atmosphere that kept drawing us back. Everyone was welcomed. Conversations lingered. Friendships formed around the tables.

Without ever intending to, Glen and David became my therapists, my confidants, and my friends.

Many evenings, Darlene, Terry, and I would gather at the Gallop Café. We would talk about work, life, faith, disappointments, and dreams. Somehow, we always left feeling lighter than when we had arrived.

Glen and David were married. Through them, I met wonderful people from many different backgrounds and cultures. They broadened my understanding of the world and reminded me that kindness, hospitality, and compassion are universal languages.

During one birthday, Glen surprised me by baking a German chocolate cake. The café filled with friends from work and the restaurant. Looking around that room, I realized something I had not felt in a very long time.

I belonged.

It remains one of the happiest birthdays of my life.

Looking back, I realize that Darlene, Terry, Glen, and David gave me far more than friendship. They believed in me during a season when I struggled to believe in myself. They helped restore my confidence, my joy, and my hope for the future.

Sometimes the people who change our lives are not famous teachers or celebrated mentors. Sometimes they are the friends who save you a seat at the table, ask how you’re doing, listen without judging, and remind you that you are loved.

To Darlene, Terry, Glen, and David—thank you for believing in me when I could not believe in myself. I have never forgotten your kindness, and I never will.