Did you hear about the Jamaican hurdler who got on the wrong bus and had to depend on a volunteer to pay for a taxi to get him to the stadium in time for his race? Because of Trijana Stojkovic’s help, hurdler Hansle Parchment went on to win gold.

It’s not likely we need another reminder, but in case we do, here it is: No one gets anywhere alone. No one accomplishes anything without help. There is no self-made man. There is no truly independent woman. Whether it’s gold you’re after, or grace, or just taking the next step into goodness – don’t try to go it alone. Because you can’t.

At Barbara Bush’s funeral, historian Jon Meacham told about a time when, as 2nd Lady, Mrs. Bush appeared at an event commemorating the bicentennial of the Constitution. She was to introduce J.T. Pace, son of a sharecropper who, at age 63, had recently learned to read. J.T. was to read the Preamble to the Constitution, but he wasn’t confident that he could do it. Mrs. Bush asked him: Would it help if we read it together? So they did. And as they did, Mrs. Bush got quieter and quieter, until finally she wasn’t reading at all; she was just standing there beside J.T. Jon Meacham said: “J.T. Pace had found his voice not least because Barbara Bush had lent him her heart.”

That’s how it works. Who are you helping as they find their purpose & their voice? Who’s helping you?