The Penny Story.

It was in the spring of 2003 when I received another plain white envelope in the mail addressed to me with no return address. As I opened the envelope, I pulled out a plain white folded piece of paper with a penny taped to it. Nothing else, just a penny, just like all the others I had received over the past few months. These pennies always arrived on a day that I needed encouragement. This penny was just like every other surprise penny that would arrive unexpectedly for me after December 28th, 2002. These pennies, whether received in the mail, found on the ground, or in places you’d least expect to find them reminded me I was loved and to keep moving forward.

December 28th, 2002, started out as any other day but by noon my world had been turned upside down, never to be the same again. My Donnie was gone. My children’s father, gone. How was I ever to continue and live without him? Healthy 41-year-old men don’t just drop dead from a heart attack.

Nineteen years earlier while I sat at my desk working away with my brow frowning, which I did often, I heard the words whispered to me from behind, “a penny for your thoughts Tina.”  It was Donnie, my husband, the love of my life. As he approached me, he gently embraced my forehead, rubbing my brow to relax the frown while whispering yet again, “a penny for your thoughts Tina”, while kissing my forehead. He did this often and he would sit next to me listening and giving me his full undivided attention while I practically talked his ear off. I loved those moments with him. And I know he loved those moments with me as well. 

Pennies still appear to me from out of nowhere in the most bizarre ways. They continue to remind me to keep moving forward and to tell my story all while listening deeply to others who need a listening ear.