Never Alone

Growing up in a small, quiet town called Butler, Alabama, I never thought anyone would value my words or want to hear my voice. I was very shy and timid throughout my young years. I was skinny and, in other people’s eyes, frail. I never really fit in with other children; I was teased by older kids and called a “mama’s boy.”

My shyness and feeling that I didn’t fit in were two obstacles in my life that I believed I would never overcome.

I never thought I’d end up where I seem to be heading today: becoming someone valued by others for who I am. The seniors I drive around every day remind me of this. They tell me I help them have a voice. But what they don’t know is how their trust strengthens me. I’m grateful I can help the management of the apartment complex where they live understand their concerns. They’ve taught me a lot about myself and the importance of faith. Our simple conversations have helped me understand the meaning of waking up every day to do something you love, rather than waking up just to go to a job.

Before my job brought the seniors into my life, I was headed down a different road. I was drinking and smoking weed. All I cared about was myself, and I didn’t care who got hurt. I wanted people to feel my hurt, even if they didn’t deserve it. I never thought I’d survive my dark places. I didn’t have people around to show me, like the seniors have, the joy that can come from giving selflessly and expecting nothing in return; just doing and sharing from the heart and having a heart that cares about others more than yourself.

When I’m driving the seniors around and listening to them, I feel their appreciation. Sometimes, it takes me back to my childhood, the good memories like my Aunt Ruby and her sweet potato pies. She made them just for me. She made sure that no one would touch them, and she kept them at her house to make sure that only I would eat them. I would ride my bike through the woods just to get there. Aunt Ruby’s love and the pies she made just for me gave me a feeling of self-worth and belonging at a time when I didn’t feel special. Her appreciation gave me the confidence I didn’t know I could have.

Like Aunt Ruby, I believe the seniors are my angels. But I don’t tell them that. I just listen, like I did today to the story of a woman I just met. As I was driving her home after Bingo at the senior building, she began to talk about how she needs to get out of the house more and how hard it is sometimes. She went on to tell me about traveling by train to visit her sister in Ontario, Canada, even getting off at the wrong station and in the wrong city, which she didn’t realize until later.

What got me about her story is how she didn’t seem worried or afraid as she shared it with me. “God sent me two angels,” she declared, referring to the strangers who made sure she was protected and finally arrived where she was supposed to be with her sister. What she showed me was a lesson about faith, reminding me that I have had angels placed in my life, too, people who are quietly helping me get to better destinations.

Our conversation renewed my mind in a way that helped me see situations and worries about my past, my shame, and my feelings of not belonging as nothing but distractions from the progress I have made as a father and as someone who loves what I do every day, driving seniors around.

Every day, I get to see what happens when I focus on faith instead of worry. Take what happened as I drove another senior on a trip to Fabulous Finds, a resale shop in the Downriver area. From the moment I picked her up until dropping her off, I felt a deep desire to pray for her. It was something about her spirit. But I was reluctant and shy, thinking to myself, “Who am I not to pray for someone when I am flawed and walking in shame about my past?”

While she was shopping, I decided to look around for clothes for my son and daughter. The few items that I found added up to $22 and some change, but unfortunately, my debit card was locked.

During the process of trying to unlock my card, the cashier said, “Don't worry about it; it is being paid forward.’’ I didn't understand what was happening. She explained, while I stood there with a look of disbelief, that the store has a “Pay It Forward” policy for struggling families.

I didn’t share that story at the time. I kept it to myself, another one of the small signs leading me every day to keep moving and trusting that, like the seniors, I am never traveling alone.

About Thrive Detroit’s Tapestry Project

Thrive Detroit is proud to launch The Tapestry Project, a space where storytelling becomes a source of healing, strength, and connection. Through guided writing sessions, participants will explore their own narratives with the support of a professional writing coach and a trusted group. This project is about more than writing—it's about honoring our stories, embracing the power of perspective, and weaving together a collective tapestry of resilience and hope.