What? A Dollar Bill

This story is about my step-dad who met my mom and I when I was 4 months old and adopted me when I was seven years old.  The following story was from one of the journals that I had written through the years.

Four years after my mom had passed we had to put my dad into an Assisted Living facility because he could no longer live at his home.  My sister and I found a place and were so excited to get it all setup for him, with his TV, bed, recliner, family photos so that it would feel a little bit like home.

The facility was not very far from my work so I was able to go and see him on my lunch or sometimes after work.  He seemed very happy and was adjusting well.  After nine months living at the facility my dad started falling a lot and needed to be in a wheelchair and have more care than the facility could handle, so my sister and I checked out the VA Nursing home (since our dad was a Veteran) and put him on a waiting list. 

About a month later we got a call from the VA saying that they had a room for my dad, we were relived because he would have 24/7 care.

My dad was not happy at all going there and was very depressed (we didn't know what else to do) none of this was easy and the stuff we had at the Assist Living facility that made him feel at home we could not bring, all he had at the VA was a closet and a bed.  Our hearts ached the first night when we had to say goodnight and walk away.

I worried so much about him and wanted to make sure he was in good hands, I could not call him on the phone like I did at the other facility, so every morning I would leave my home early for work and be at the VA at 7:00 am to visit with dad about 30 minutes.

The staff did amazing work with all of the patients by having them dressed, cleaned up and in their wheels chairs ready for breakfast.  Dad would be outside of his room (which I know he looked forward to seeing me) and I would come and take him to the cafeteria and get him a cup of hot chocolate and myself a cup of coffee. 

 I did this 5 days a week and 1 day on the weekend for 1 1/2 years.  That morning cup of coffee with my dad ended up not just with him but with the rest of the VA patients that were there in the morning that made my day.

They would all wave at me, smile and salute and I would make sure they had a cup of chocolate or coffee or even a little conversation.  I felt that I was making a difference each day with all of them and also with the Staff who took very good care of my dad.

I would always share my penny stories with dad and tell him that they were mom's pennies from heaven.

July 25th 2011 I had been very restless because the last couple of days dad had not been doing very well, the VA called that morning to say that dad had another unresponsive episode.  So I went up the the VA to see him and my dear friend who works for Hospice was their checking up on him.  He was on oxygen and seemed a little better and I wanted to make him laugh so I told him; You know dad,  mom is always sending pennies from heaven to us and when it is your turn if you will up the ante and send maybe dollar bills?  He and my friend just rolled their eyes, laughed and she said; Chris; what are we going to do with that Kathy.

August 6, 2011
I was giving a baby shower that afternoon for my step-daughter.  I was so stressed that I would be getting a call from the VA about my dad and not be able to have this special shower for her.

My daughter-in-law came by about 8:30 that morning to bring cookies that she made for the shower and said she would be there later.  She gave me a hug and said; Oh I found this in the driveway and handed me a dollar bill!

Now if I found a dollar bill I would have kept it and bought me a cup of coffee or something, LOL.  She did not know the story that I had told my dad at the hospital telling him to send dollars instead of the pennies that mom had been sending.  

My theory on this was that that dollar was from my mom, because she wasn't going to let my dad be the one to up the ante and make her look bad.   LOL

I know it sounds crazy but know one else knew about that conversation in the hospital except for my friend from Hospice and to this day we still talk about that DOLLAR BILL.

Thanks for the Memories!

I know from my own experience that losing both of your parents (or losing anyone) is a very painful thing to go through.

Like having to go through their clothes, papers, all of their personal belongings and then to sell, give away or take to charity the things that meant so much to them.  

And then to prepare to sell their home and walk away from the memories that you so cherished through the years.

This story is about my friend who works for Hospice at the VA Nursing Home in our area. She had been assigned to help us out with my dad who was a patient there for about 15 months.  

She would always check up on him and other patients and did and still does an amazing job!  It takes very special people to do this.

With losing her dad a few years ago and then her mom in January of 2015 she has been going through that same process after 61 years of being raised in this beautiful home filled with many wonderful memories.

During the last several months there of course have been many penny stories that she shared with me.

She found these books and frame in her dad's garage, and put them in her office for about two months and on August 20, 2015 she moved the picture frame and book and found this:

Since her dad has passed she is always finding pennies and nickels!

It just keeps getting better and better.  

My friend gave her granddaughter the bed that she slept in when she was a little girl.  As they were taking the mattress off these 3 pennies were found between the mattress and box spring!!!

Then her husband goes to move her mom and dad's dresser to get ready to load up on the truck and he finds this penny!

You just can't make this stuff up! 

You just believe that these are messages from our loved ones who have passed and are watching over us.

I know that my friend is so blessed for the wonderful memories that she will never ever forget.  

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR THE MEMORIES.

Angel Penny

Not sure of the date that I received this penny message, it was from my cousin's wife who we are so blessed to have her in our family.

She sent this information to me in the mail along with a penny.

Walking with my friend

July 8th, 2015,

I have to say that I have an amazing circle of friends  in my life, each and everyone of them are so special and unique in their own ways.  Priceless.

On July 8, 2015,  a very dear friend and co-worker of mine went for our morning walk (2 1/2 miles) which we have been doing since February before we start our day at the office along this beautiful trail.

As we were on our way back to the office my friend shared a story with me saying;

That each night before she goes to bed  she thinks about all of the trouble that she had put her mom and dad through when she was a young teenager, both parents have since passed.

I thought how sad that she would think of this each night because she is one of the most caring, giving and most awesome person I know!

Just then my friend stopped and said; look, and there was a penny right in front of her (she also is a penny believer and has collected many since her parents have passed)

I raised my hands in the air and was a bit surprised yet so excited for her because I felt that her mom and dad were sending her a message telling her; It's all okay and we love you!

As I was shaking my head I looked in the opposite direction and long behold if I don't see a penny about 5 feet from where I was standing!!!  

We both had picked up our pennies and started to cry.

What a beautiful morning it turned out to be and I will never ever forget as I continued waking with my friend!

I Miss You Grandpa

June 25th 2015 I had heard that our receptionist at the office had lost her grandpa.  It is so sad to hear of any loss in our lives and for those of us who have gone through it know exactly what it's like, and that is why I always want to make a difference and hope that what I do will help them heal.

She was very close to her grandpa loved going with him to car shows in one of his classic cars that he owned.  

I made her a memory candle that is battery operated with a 5-hour timer and I placed one one my pennies inside.

When I gave it to her she had not heard about the pennies from heaven so I shared a few of my stories to her.  I also told her to pick a special time at night that she would like her candle to come on and that would be her special memory of her grandpa.

Later that night she posted this picture and message on Face Book:

I want to thank you again for the candle, it seriously made my day.  I am so blessed to have you as a friend.  The candle will be glowing by my bedside nightly.  You are truly amazing.

On July 23, 2015 our receptionist came into work and called me to come downstairs that she had something to share with me.  She said that on her way to work she stopped to put gas in her car and when she got back in she found this sitting on the dash, and she swears that it was not there when she got out of the car.

  But the most amazing part of this story is that it was her grandpa's birthday!!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA.

When my friend finished reading my blog se sent me a message:

I just read your blog.  It's perfect.  Made me cry, not in a sad way though, just brought back memories.  My daughter came in and asked me why I was sad, I told her mom isn't sad just thinking of some great memories.  I had told her the penny story, she sat there for a minute and then said;

Mom, pennies are cool but maybe we should ask them to start leaving 20$ for us.  I am laughing so hard, to cute.

My friend has been having a really bad time lately, it has been several months since here grandpa has passed away.  The other day her dad came over to her house a delivered her grandpa's boat!!!  She could not believe it. 

She feels so blessed and to have this, and I know she will treasure it forever.

They are going to go camping this weekend - August 29th and take the boat, as she was cleaning she lifted up the seat in grandpas boat, and look what she found, she was so emotional.

Below is another penny she found on the carpet of the boat.  She had just got off the phone with her uncle and he reminded her that her grandpa used to call her his LUCKY PENNY.  She is all sorts of emotional right now.  HAPPY BOATING.....

Penny Stats Update

August 16, 2016

OMG, I am so excited today when checking out my HEAVENLY PENNY stories on my blog.  

You can do a stat report of your viewers and this is what I had this morning:

I am so amazed that there are (5) page views from Ireland, did I say (5) from Ireland?  How people are finding this information is beyond my wildest dreams!

This is a part of me that I am putting out to the internet that is so healing and knowing that it may be helping others and encourages me to continue with many many more beautiful stories that friends and families have shared with me and to see who across this beautiful world is reading this.

Penny in a toolbox?

This is an amazing story that I couldn't wait to share.

Went out to dinner with some special friends on July 23, 2015.  One of our friends had lost his sister to cancer several weeks prior.  I had found a ceramic vase in the design of coveralls.  I glued one of my special pennies on the front, filled it with flowers and put in a special decorated bag.  He just loved it, even the waitress thought it was nice and asked what is was for.  I said that our friend here had a sister who past away a few weeks ago and we are sharing her memory tonight.

Later I told him and his wife about my penny stories through the years and I told him that if he ever found a penny after tonight to take a picture along with a message and send it to me.  He said that it would probably be one of his grand kids that would be the first the pennies, but promised that no matter who he would pass the information along.

We ended the night with good memories.

The next afternoon I got this email with the following message from our friend:

Kathy,

I know this is amazing, I went searching in my toolbox today (7-24-2015) and under things was this shinny penny.  I didn't remember it being there.

I was so surprised!!!  I wished we had a photo of him finding it there.

Below is the card we just got in the mail 8-10-2015

Pennies in New York

June 20th, 2008,

The company that I work for did a Leadership Conference in New York City.  I was on the committee with 5 other co-workers which we  planned the conference for 300 people to participate. 

 That morning when I got up I wished my mother Happy Birthday (she would have been 89 years old), as I got dressed for the meeting I put on one of her bracelets that she had given to me a few years prior (see photo below).

Our company was scheduled to have the meeting at the "Tavern on the Green", the committees responsibility was to direct the 300 people into the tavern along the cobblestone sidewalk.

As I was doing my part making sure that everyone was accounted for I happened to look down to see 5 of the shiniest pennies I had ever seen!!!!  I called to my friends and husband who were standing behind me and I pointed to the pennies on the cobblestone sidewalk that 300 people had walked on.  We all just gasped, especially when I said that it was my mom's birthday!!

I burst into tears because I knew that my mom was there in New York City with me on her special day.

I love you mom!!

Pennies in New York

Penny Believer

June 25, 2007

My very dear friend of mine brought her mom and dad over for a visit one night, my friend had ask me to tell her mom and dad about the penny that I found the night after my mom had passed.  They were so amazed about my story but more amazed later that night when they got home and her mother went into the family room to turn on the fan and seeing a shining spot in the sofa, she didn't really know it was a penny till she picked it up...amazing and awesome.

Below is the letter with the penny and a beautiful message.

More PENNY STORIES to come

I have been so excited since posting my first blog seeing that people have actually been reading it.  And believe it or not the penny stories just keep on coming in and I can't wait to share those stories.

So before I start I have taken a photo  of the many letters filled with stories and pennies that people have sent to me in the last 8 years.  

I am not quite sure why they send them to me instead of keeping them for themselves but it doesn't matter because each penny has a message with an amazing story that I will share with anyone who believes.

Several years before my mother passed I lost my nephew who at that time was 27 years old and died jumping out of a moving vehicle.  Six months after that my sister (his mother) died. Total shock to all of our family.  

I needed something to help me heal through this process so I started going to a grieving class and then I would share the things that I learned with my mom and dad who were suffering by the loss of their daughter and grandson.

One of the things I learned in the class was to write down 3 good things that happened to me everyday and 5 journals later are filled stories that have healed me in a way that I just can't explain.

Sometimes we feel guilty for having good things happen to us when others have passed, and we will never ever forget them.  

My 1st Penny Story

My story begins April 26, 2008. 

I had gotten off work that night and went to visit my mom and dad, they had just gotten back from Wendover, NV (which is something they did a couple times a month).  I spent about an hour or so and when I went to leave my mother walked me out to my car, she had on white pants with a yellow blouse and here hair was just perfect, she stood there with her arms folded until I got down the street, she had never done that before and I will never forget her standing there looking at me not knowing that it would be the last time I would ever see her. 

The next day I took a 1/2 day off of work and went with a friend to see a Medium (which I had been to before).  The Medium seemed a little uncomfortable during my reading but I later brushed it off.  After our readings my friend and I went to lunch where she shared with me a story about her mother who had passed away several years prior from cancer, her family and ours all knew each other.

She told me her mother would put pennies in anything that had a pocket which I thought was very interesting and then after her mother had passed my friend would find pennies around and said that they were from her mom which she said were her “Pennies from Heaven”.   I couldn’t wait to go home to call my mom and tell her that story of the pennies.

On Sunday April 29^th I received a call from my mom at 7:00 am telling me that the sprinklers were not working and that my dad was having a hard time trying to fixed them.  She asked if my husband and I would come and help him.  I told her that we would.  Five minutes later I called her and asked her to tell dad not to hire anyone that we would be there in a few hours.  A few minutes after that my dad called me and said that my mom was laying on the couch unresponsive, I told him to call 911 and that I was on my way, I called my sister and let her know what was going on, then went straight to the hospital.  When  I got there I called dad and asked him what was going on and he said that the paramedics left and are on their way, just then the ambulance came down the street and I thought I was going to pass out because I knew that my mom was in there.

I went into the front desk and told the lady that I think that is my mother they just brought in, she told me to sit down and they would be right with me.  Five minutes after I sat down and I looked over at the front door and a police officer was coming in with my dad,  and I knew then that the news was not going to be good.

When my sister got there a member of the staff took us in a private room and told us that our mother had passed.  My dad started to cry and said it was his fault because he had been yelling at her over the sprinklers not working and that he wasn’t able to fix them.  It wasn’t anyone’s fault it was mom’s time to go. 

Later that night when I got home and after making all of the phone calls to family and friends about mom I walked down the hall and had noticed a penny between the hall and my special Angel room, I couldn’t believe it!! 

I felt in my heart it was a message from my mom because of the story I shared with her a few days prior to her passing and thought maybe that was why the Medium seemed uncomfortable, because she knew something was going to happen, but didn’t want to say anything.

To this day I have saved that penny along with many, many other pennies that people have sent to me and their amazing stories and now I want to share them with you.

The top penny on the picture below is the one I found the day my mom had passed and has been on my office phone for the last 8 years.  The other one is from another story later on.