A Penny from My Father

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When I finally did get a flight home, I went to call my sister to let her know I was coming, and I found a penny by the phone booth in the airport. And as I went down the jetway to board the plane, another penny was on the floor. Reminders from my father? You may not think so, but I choose to believe they are.

My friend and I go walking sometimes. One day we circled the same city block three times. The first time around we found some coins at the end of a driveway, and we picked them up. I thought about my dad, and my friend, who has adopted my penny philosophy over the years, thought about her mom.

The next time around the block, at the exact same driveway where we had picked up the coins, we found more coins. We were surprised, but we decided that perhaps we had simply missed these the last time. So we picked them up, laughed at our aging eyesight, and walked on. The third time around, though, when we found even more coins at the exact same driveway, we were amazed. In fact, it was a little eerie and, at the same time, comforting.

Recently I went to visit my mom. While I was there, we walked into the backyard to pick up some pecans. Mom’s out in the yard a lot, especially at the time of year when the pecans are falling. And, in truth, no one else ever goes into her backyard. So we were both amazed to find a shiny penny lying on top of a stack of bricks where Mom often sits. How did it get there? It hadn’t been there the last time Mom was in the yard. And no one else had been there. We like to think we know.

Over the years since my dad’s death, I’ve saved the pennies and coins I’ve found and put them in a special jar. I have over four hundred coins now. In my mind, that amounts to hundreds of special little visits from my father . . . or is it my Father? I’m not sure, but I’m so happy to hear from them both.

Love Tap
From now on, when you find a penny on the ground perhaps it can remind you, too, that your Father is always there for you, caring for you in small, special ways, watching over you, protecting you, as only a father . . . and Father . . . can.