A penny in my thoughts
By BonnieBlueFlag
Thousands of e-mail cartoons, pictures, petitions, jokes and stories make the rounds of our computer screens every day. Over the weekend I received one that I especially wanted to share with you all, because it gave me a new perspective on something we take for granted every day.
Subject: Pennies are plentiful...
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 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 causally 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 thought of Arlene's story as 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
By now you may be saying, well yes that is a nice little story, but I hardly find it momentous.
Well, perhaps you have been like me recently, in thinking of a $1 dollar bill, a $5, a $10, or $20, every time we think about the advances of the ACLU in removing "God" from our daily life, and it isn't often that we find a dollar bill.
We have been handling pennies since we were children, and long ago stopped looking at each one as special.� However, when we take a minute to remember that God's name does appear on each coin, we realize that even the lowly penny is on track to be targeted by the ACLU. The same ACLU that has caused the removal of all mention of a Christian God from our schools, will eventually bring suit to eliminate "In God We Trust" from the money that we use everyday.�
Imagine the horror inflicted on atheists and Muslims daily, when they must handle the currency that was created by our forefathers who firmly believed in a Christian God.
If the recent ACLU successes are any indication of the future, I now see the mostly ignored penny in a new light.� I will no longer step on, or walk by the penny on the ground.� I will never again leave the name of God face down in the dirt.� This is the God that I have asked repeatedly to protect and guide the United States of America, and I can at least show him this modicum of respect.
I will not be worshipping money, only showing respect for our founders, and their desire that God bless this country. Each coin I find will remind me that there are those who are working hard to eliminate God and his commandments from our society, and that I must work equally hard to prevent that from happening.
By: BonnieBlueFlag
posted by Aussiegirl @ 4:27 PM
2 Comments:
Billy D, I agree that this was a great post, but look again, the poster was BonnieBlueFlag, a frequent contributor to Ultima Thule of very interesting and varied posts--tributes to the heros of D-Day, a fascinating series on the contenders for the Papal Seat, a thoughtful post on the wildlife she lives among, not to mention many hilarious posts on all sorts of topics. She is truly Aussiegirl's most valuable correspondent, and I for one always look forward to her latest offering. By the way, thanks to Ultima Thule I have become acquainted with your valuable blog, In Deo Veritas. I recently read your wickedly funny post on what happened on your shopping outing...I really thought I was going to pass out from not being able to catch my breath from laughing so hard! What a talent you have for painting what would seem to be just a shopping trip with such wickedly funny word pictures! Where to begin? How about the hysterical blindness, the children taunting you...I could go on and on. Keep them coming!
Folks, when this country started off, and we began printing money, if the words "In God We Trust" wasn't there ... or money would have been seen as worthless.
So give credit where it's due. We began this wonderful "experiment" with the highest of hopes.
Only to see real dreck coming out of Congress.
Just like it was for Churchill. When he saw, with horror, that the aristocrats had no intention of stopping Hitler; when stopping him would have been easy!
Hitler didn't use "trust in God" ... because he thought he could fake a militaristic stance; and everybody, shaking in fear, would fold their tents.
The First World War left a terrible taste in the mouths of all the Allies. The death tolls were unbelievable. And, the gains were none. Just to stop german agression. Versaille was UNREALISTIC! Leave it to diplomats to lose any benefits from wars already fought.
Just like jerks, today, want to disarm our own military. And, are looking for either Saddam, or perfection, in a corner of the world that supports our world, too. Idiots. There are more of them than there are just poor people. Let me tell ya.
But if you run and hide in a pew; thinking you've got all the answers; excuse me, but your cribbing the test.
The real test is how humans stand up together to confront evil. Not make up stories of why women, or blacks, or even homosexuals, must be "controlled," by a few insane laws ... That never get supported in public, anyway.
You want to knock Roe V. Wade out of existence? Really. Because printed on coinage is an expression that "In God We Trust." Okey dokey. Whatever works for idiots who if they're not sticking their heads up their own rear ends, can always be found trying to stick their heads up others.
We are the experiment that passed the test. In spite idiots elected to office. (My mom once said to me, given how many idiots are out there ... it's only fair in a democracy ... that we'd get a number of them into fairly high offices.) She didn't mean it as a compliment. Just as reality.
Life's a messy business. Real grown ups lead without trying to stick spines up the rear ends of others. And, we'd all be much better off ... if we could just share the jokes about the fools who embarrass us ... when they speak up in the wells of Congress. What's it going to take? I always thought that laughter would shrink them up there, ya know.
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