A penny for your thoughts

A Penny for your Thoughts
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I'll never again pick up a penny without thinking of this.

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

The 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 she was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant
that 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 valuable.

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.

Author Unknown