A week later, a letter arrived in our mailbox — along with a check for $25,000. The note read: “Dear Eli, thank you for reminding an old man that goodness still exists. Use this for your future, and never stop being kind.” We put the money into a savings account, but what truly mattered was the lesson it carried.

That evening, Eli drew a picture of the mailman with wings, writing beneath it: “Mr. Mailman – My Hero.” Watching him tape it to the fridge, I realized the greatest gift wasn’t the money or the car — it was the reminder that even the smallest kindness can change the world.