The other day I took my older kids on a walk. We thought we would just be gone for an hour or so, but we ran into several people along the trail that told us there was a beautiful lake up ahead, so we just kept walking. A few hours later we arrived at this amazing lake. It had paddle boats and miniature golf and a carousel and tons of other fun things. But the highlight of the trip for me was a story that I received from my father as we were walking. We stopped along the trail and took a break as I read this story to my kids:

A PENNY

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk
being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time
I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to
think about.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were
invited to spend the weekend at the home of her husband's
employer.

My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was
very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing
more than her house.

The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted
to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. Her
husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them
to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the
opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so
was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive
restaurant one evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of
Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the

pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was

supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a

single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts.

Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it

up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure.

How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny?
Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her Finally, she
could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her
daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he
had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his
pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had
seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?

"Look at it," he said. "Read what it says."

She read the words, " United States of America .."

"No, not that. Read further."

"One cent?"

"No, keep reading."

"In God we Trust?"

"Yes!"

"And?. . ."

"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a
coin. Whenever I find a coin, I see that inscription. It is
written on every single United States coin, but we never seem
to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling
me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I
pray. I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment.. I
pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him.
For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I
think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky
for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk.
I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been
worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change.
I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. "Yes,
God, I get the message!"

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of
pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are
plentiful! And, God is patient.

Though I've never been a huge fan of pennies, we all really liked this story. Of course, every time we see a penny on the ground, we think of the story. I'm grateful for the things that remind us about our Heavenly Father and that we need to trust Him.