Jan 3rd - Worthless pennies? No way!

My friend Erin introduced me to the practice of picking up pennies that have been dropped or carelessly tossed aside as being worthless. I've tried thru the years to make a point to pick them up whenever I see them with no real reason as to why, just because she does I guess, not really for luck or any other reason...

Then one day I got an email with one of those stories that get passed around and it was about picking up pennies... It was rather long, but I decided to read it anyways. Im glad I did! Now I have a reason for picking up pennies! The story below my photo for today is the Penny Story that I received that day. Take the time to read it, it may change your view on Pennies :)

“It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy, its what you think about it"

A Penny & the Truth

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 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 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!