The Monkees had a hit song written by Neil Diamond and covered by many artists over the years since its inception in 1967. “I’m a Believer” deals with a man becoming smitten by a girl and claiming that “he couldn’t leave her if I tried.” Apparently, the man had been skeptical about love, not thinking he would ever fall in love this hard.
When we think of it, there are so many things that we are skeptical of and certainly not believers in. I know that for me, the Detroit Lions is one of those things. You would have to agree that once “disappointment has haunted all (your) dreams”, it is very hard to open yourself to becoming a believer once again.
Figuratively speaking, “when I saw her face, and now I’m a believer,” the city of Detroit is one such face. Over the years, I have had a love/hate relationship with Detroit, Michigan.
As stated in our book Black and White Like You and Me, I grew up in Detroit, living there a total of twenty-seven years. Perhaps another blog will go into that thought with more detail. This blog, however, deals with overcoming skepticism and becoming a believer. Thomas Marsh and I were in downtown Detroit meeting with Dan at Pure Detroit outlets and Janet at the Source Bookstore this past week to retail our book. Coincidentally, one of the days was the opening of the new Q-Line transit along Woodward Avenue. My eyes widened as I saw the vibrant tone of the area. I remained slightly skeptical about the resurgence of the city until we again were downtown on a Sunday afternoon. Wow! “Not a trace of doubt in my mind.”
Good for the city of Detroit and the Ilitch family and Dan Gilbert and the Ford family and all the others that have caused this transformation. Now I am a believer in our city!
