(A MountainWings Moment)
 A SHINY PENNY IN A PARKING LOT

A number of years ago I decided I would stop picking up pennies when I saw them lying on the sidewalk or in parking lots.  A penny just didn't seem worth the effort it took to get down to retrieve it!  My motto had become "See a penny, let it lay, because it's not worth much of anything today"!    Then one day I read this:

THE ANGEL AND THE PENNY

I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground,
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.
That's what my Grandma told me,
She said Angels toss them down
Oh, How I loved that story.
She said when an Angel misses you
They toss a penny down,
Sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile out of your frown
So don't pass by that penny
When you are feeling blue,
It may be a penny from heaven
That your guardian angel tossed to you!
                                                 Author Unknown

"When an angel misses you"

When  I saw a penny lying in a parking lot a few days ago, the little poem went through my head, and thoughts of Jamie flooded my mind!  The penny had caught my eye because it was so bright and shinny and brand new!  It didn't look at all like a penny that you would find in a parking lot, unless it had just been tossed down!  I picked it up, telling Jamie "HI" back, and tucked it in my pocket!  My grandson  asked which side was up, and I said "Heads"!  James said "GOOD!  That means good luck!" so we both happily continued on our way.

Later that night at home, as I took the penny out of my pocket, I stopped to look at my bright shiny gift!  But as I looked, I was shocked to see that it is not ALL bright and shiny! The edges of the penny are all cut and smashed and distorted!  Obviously the penny was run over in the parking lot many times!  The edges on both sides show evidence of having been against the pavement as the penny was run over time and time again!  What appeared to be a bright shiny new penny has really had a very hard life! 

And again ... the penny spoke to me!  Our family  suffered a very overwhelming loss when Jamie was murdered.  We, as the penny, feel we have been run over and crushed!   But this bright shinny little penny ... with it's tiny protective rim reminded me of MY rim.  My Rim of Faith!  A faith that protects me from the 'hit and run' events in life, such as Jamie's murder.  God doesn't promise us a smooth life, but one where he will protect us as we suffer the trials we must go through.

I believe Jamie had a 'rim' that protected her in those last moments, and that she is still as shiny and sparkly as she ever was, and will be throwing pennies down to the rest of us a we continue through life.

I kept the penny and wrapped it in sterling silver wire, turning it into a necklace.  A necklace that will remind me that "My Rim" ... my faith ... will protect me from whatever life brings my way, so that I, too, can go on shining!

And I will never look at it without thinking of our Angel who threw it to me!

Thank you, Jamie!!!

Aunt Berda