Yesterday, after a doctor’s appointment, we stopped at IHOP in Abilene…
We had just wrapped up a routine doctor’s visit. It wasn’t anything dramatic—just one of those appointments you schedule, show up, wait your turn, and leave with a note or instructions. The kind of day that feels ordinary, maybe even a little heavy. Sometimes, when your day carries the weight of waiting rooms and health updates, what you need is something small, something unexpected to lighten it.
So afterward, we decided to grab something to eat. We picked IHOP in Abilene—a familiar place, not fancy, but dependable. The sort of spot where the pancakes are warm, the coffee is steady, and the chatter around you is casual and unassuming.
When we sat down, Dwayne glanced around the room, taking in the scene—and something caught his eye immediately. The name tag on our waitress. (If you’ve ever known Dwayne, you know he has a soft spot for badges, name tags, and any kind of identifier. It’s almost a quirky little hobby.) He leaned forward as she approached our table and said, with a grin, “I like your name tag.”
She smiled politely in return, and to lighten the mood, Dwayne went on: “Actually, my own name is Captain America.”
We meant it half in jest—I don’t think he believed she would take him seriously. But that’s what made this moment so magical. Because she did take him seriously.
Not long before we were ready to leave, the waitress—whose name was Millie—came back to our table, leaned in with a conspiratorial smile, and asked Dwayne to hold still. Before he knew it, she had pinned a new name tag on his shirt. It read: CAPTAIN AMERICA.
I watched the delight on his face. I watched him from the corner of my eye, disbelief mixing with joy, wide eyes that said, “Did that just happen?” He was absolutely thrilled. He touched the pin gently, turned it slightly to see how it looked under the overhead lights. He beamed.
I told Millie thank you, but those words felt too small. Because she didn’t just pin a name tag—she sprinkled a bit of kindness into our day. She turned something ordinary into something memorable.
Sometimes it’s never the big gestures that move us most—it’s the tiny ones. A name tag. A recognition. A moment where someone stops and listens—or notices something small. It reminds you: you matter.
So thank you, Millie at IHOP. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You made his day.