Dear Friends of the Good Old Days,

Aren't we lucky to have grown up in the Good Old Days, when we played outside for hours at a time, knew everyone in the neighborhood, and made memories? I say, yes, we are!

In this issue, we visit the neighborhoods we called home. Where we knew every face and name, and had adventures with friends and celebrations with neighbors. In the following pages, our readers also share stories of their moms and dads: how they met and married, lived their lives and made us who we are today, enabling us to enjoy our own milestones -- graduations, going to college, marriages and so forth.

Reading these stories brings back my memories, like the Mother's Day when I was 9 and my sister was 12. Our mom worked hard to provide for us, so a perfect gift was deserved.

Every week, my sister and I walked a couple of miles to make payments on a ring we saw at a jewelry store. We wanted her initials engraved which would cost more. They didn't have layaway, but my sister promised we would be there every week with our allowance in hand.

I'll never forget Mom's face. She wanted to know who helped us. Her expression when she realized we had walked to make payments still makes me smile. She wore that ring for decades. We are blessed to still have our mom, and we know it.

We hope reading this issue of Good Old Days brings back your fond memories, and you'll share them with us. We'll be looking forward to that time.

Speaking of looking, did you find the four-leaf clover in the last issue? It was on page 70. See if you can find the sun in this issue!