There was a time when school clothes came from Kmart, and they didn’t go home right away. They stayed on layaway until just before the first bell. Eating out was a rare treat, not a habit. Fast food? Leftovers warmed up in the oven, not grabbed through a window. A popsicle on a hot day? Magic.

We had candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars, and with a dollar, you could walk out of the corner store with a whole paper bag full of sweets. School wasn’t optional, and once home, you shed those “good clothes” for play clothes. If no one was home, you walked to a neighbor’s. House keys tied to shoelaces or hidden under rocks were normal. Nobody paid for daycare—we raised each other.

Dinner was at the table—elbows off, no food touched before grace. The house phone was for emergencies or quick calls, not endless scrolling. We played outside until streetlights buzzed on—Red Light Green Light, Dodgeball, Hide & Seek filled our days. Girls and boys together, barefoot and fearless.

If we ...

Lily, a 19-year-old waitress, had no idea that she was serving Cowboys superstar Brandon Aubrey. Polite and reserved, Brandon Aubrey enjoyed his meal without drawing attention to himself. But as he left, he left a receipt for the waitress… and walked away with a smile. Lily opened it out of curiosity, but immediately began to cry. What Brandon Aubrey wrote was more than just a thank you: it changed her life…