Find a Penny, Pick It Up…the Rest of the Day, You’ll Know You'r Mimi's Thinking of You

Dropped change…we’ve all seen it, found it, picked it up. Maybe YOU’ve even been the one who dropped it. I’ve always loved finding money (I know, who doesn’t!). I scour for change like an old man combs the beach with a metal detector. On a more realistic note, I actually just happen upon it, but will most definitely get excited and go to some length to obtain it. In fact, last Friday, I was standing in line at a local gas station. It was my turn at the counter. I happened to look down and spotted not one penny, but two! Then - wow - a dime! The pennies were relatively easy to scoop up; however, the dime presented more of a problem! He was hiding closer under the counter, just out of reach between two displays. Now came the delima - do I take the time to make a scene and bend down to fish it out, or do I try to manuever it out and smoothly, with the coolness of Kojak, pick up the golden grail? I usually try to be discreet, and having children lends itself nicely to this. “Look kids, money.” And of course, they go diving! So we all share in the joy! But this day, I was without my counterparts and, there were people behind me waiting. Not being able to take my focus off the silver siren, I quickly swiped my card, paying for the goods, slid the dime with my toe to rechable position, swooped down (almost loosing my balance - funny woman faceplant time), and retrieved not only the dime but the two pennies as well. Now how I may have looked to those around me, I have no clue. I was up and gone without looking back. The cost of pride that day, my friend: $.12! Uh-huh, yeah!

Now there are as many thoughts on the afterlife as Jethro has holes in his underwear, but that’s not what this little discourse is about, exactly. I lost my mom about 4 years ago to the nightmarish disease of Alzheimer’s. Only about 60 years of age when she began to show signs, she was robed of many years of quality life. What a gifted individual of which the world was robbed. She had her quirks, as do we all, but she was a very special Mimi, the name given to her by her grandchildren. My children were 4 and 2 when she passed, so they never had the opportunity of knowing her.

My mom had this funny knack of spotting lost change! She had an eye like a hawk when it came to finding these unclaimed treasures. It seemed like every place we went, she found a penny, a nickel - some sort of coin. I believe I share the same enthusiasm she had when she spied the tokens!

My children and I speak of Mimi from time to time – memories I have of her, special things I would like for them to know. One such funny recollection is this knack at finding dropped change. My kids love this story, and, somewhere along the way, I began saying, “Look, there’s a penny. Your Mimi’s thinking of you.” So they would pick up the coin and hold it or put it in their pocket. Now, when they spot one, they announce the same sentiment. We’ve had fun, over the last year, in particular, collecting these “dropped treasures”. We’ve decided to fill a jar that the kids decorated with any change we find and whatever we have left from breaking a dollar. Consequently, we have a jar full of, shall we say, treasures of a dual nature! So thanks to all the "droppers" out there who unwittingly give my children and me, not only a little extra change in a jar, but warmth in our hearts.