Moving away from your hometown can come with many blessings. But for some, it also comes with just as many bouts of loneliness. That ache of not knowing where to meet people, or grieving the friends you left behind, comes in waves. Workplaces and churches can sometimes provide ready-made communities, but what happens when they don’t? Where do you go to find true belonging?

After a cycling accident left him paralyzed, Bill Winchester had to relearn how to navigate daily life from a wheelchair. A stand-up wheelchair later gave him the ability to rise, move more independently, and regain parts of the active life he once knew.

Helper did not change because of one man alone. But Angel changed what was possible by showing up every day, fixing what others walked away from, and refusing to accept dysfunction as normal.

Long before Ali Sabbah was a two-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef – back in the winter of 2000 – I wrote a review of Mazza. Back then, the cafe served Middle Eastern fare on paper and Styrofoam plates with plastic utensils in the small space that was formerly home to Smoky’s Records, and then to a bakery in the eclectic 15th & 15th neighborhood. It’s now a cozy, beautifully decorated eatery with white tablecloths, a full wine list, and, as always, award-winning Middle Eastern cuisine.