I had a long chat with a dear friend this morning—one of those life-affirming conversations that left us both feeling cherished and special.

My friend told me about a week-long wellness retreat she had gone to many years ago. Among the things that stood out for her was a comment by one of the women associated with the retreat, who said to her in a private discussion:

There are hundreds of angels loving you for having touched their lives, cheering you on, and wanting you to realize your dreams.

"Hundreds of angels" echoed in my mind. I am one of those angels who loves my friend for having touched my life. About a decade ago, when we worked in the same department, I was passing by her office one day and she saw that I wasn't my usual, cheerful self. She gently guided me into her office, closed the door and invited me to unburden myself. I cried. She validated.

What was even more remarkable about the situation was that my friend was a busy executive. She could have easily allowed other more pressing matters to take precedence over my dilemma. But she didn't. I will always be grateful for her caring. Since then, she has loved and supported me, and I have cheered her on, both directly in our conversations, and indirectly in my mind. If she only knew how often I've thought of her, especially in the past few months as she has been dealing with her own health challenges.

Many cheerleaders admire from afar. They love, respect and appreciate other people though they may never let them know. Sometimes the high regard people have for others is revealed only at funerals, weddings or retirement parties, or upon learning that someone has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

In the days after my ovarian cancer diagnosis, I experienced an outpouring of love. Hundreds of people reached out to me early in my cancer journey to cheer me on, and many shared stories of times when I had had a positive impact on them. One of my employees wrote this to me:

A few years back..., you drew my name for a "have a walk/coffee with the ADM" as part of Employee Appreciation Week. We walked to the Starbucks over at Holland Cross and you got me a coffee, and the whole time listened to my ramblings and uncertainties of where I wanted to take my career. It was a strange time for me—I had tons of questions, thoughts, and plans but no idea of how to address or execute them. You gave me some invaluable advice that day on how to approach my career options and map out where I wanted to go, but perhaps most importantly, I think I finally understood the saying of "people remember how you made them feel"—it was really awesome and encouraging to see that someone in your position listened attentively to my worries and ideas and responded with genuine feedback and advice. I shared this story a few times while I was on secondment at [another department]. My colleagues were really touched, even if they didn’t know who you were, but it’s a testament of the positive vibes you bring to the branch.

Had it not been for my illness, this employee might never have shared this story with me. For many of us, our "angels" are often invisible and silent. Consequently, it is easy to forget that they are there. But they are there, and in significant numbers when you think of all the people you have touched over the course of your life: the child you coached, the student you tutored, the teacher you recognized, the coworker you helped on their first day, the boss you worked hard for, the stranger you listened to, the sibling you helped through a health challenge, the nurse you thanked, the writer you complimented.

This reminds me of the final episode of the Netflix series After Life, in which Tony confides in Anne that he wished that he hadn't teased his wife about there not being an afterlife as he thinks she wanted to believe in heaven and angels. Anne replies:

All she would have wanted was you with her at the end. Oh, and there are angels by the way. They don't have wings and live in clouds. They wear nurse's uniforms and work hard to pay the rent on their houses. Some work for charities because they can't look the other way. Some have four legs and bark. But whatever they look like, they all save lives.

My friend told me this morning that when the woman at the wellness retreat had talked of the "hundreds of angels" surrounding her, she burst into tears. Perhaps, in that moment, my friend remembered that there were many more people lifting her up than trying to pull her down.

Our angels not only love us, cheer us on and want the best for us, but also reflect our true selves back to us. They remind us of our innate goodness, our inherent lovableness, and our unique contribution to the world. Our challenge is to recognize and remember the angels in our lives.