Pennies on my Path
When I was a kid I was walking along a beach one day with my dad. As we wandered along looking for treasures, pretty rocks and shells, I kept finding pennies in the sand.
The first couple I came across I just picked up and put in my pocket as we kept walking. But pretty soon I started to get excited. How many pennies was I going to find?! Why were there so many on this particular beach? And how come I was the only one finding them? Dad didn’t find any. How many could there be?
Midway through our walk, I was no longer looking for pretty rocks and shells. I was looking specifically for pennies. And with each new discovery I would turn and thrust it into the air showing my dad. See? Another one!
Dad would laugh, and express surprise. I teased him that it was a good thing I was along on this walk since he wasn’t finding any. He agreed, and I darted on ahead in search of more pennies.
It wasn’t until years later that I found out it was Dad who was tossing those pennies on my path. As I walked along searching for treasures, he was following me, quietly tossing pennies on the path for me to find. With each discovery he would share in my surprise and delight. And those that I walked by without discovering he would pick up as he strolled by so that he could toss them again. And again. Until I found them.
As an adult, this is one of those images from childhood that has stayed with me. It has become one of the images that frames my understanding of life, and of God.
As I walk through life, wandering along looking for treasures, God is walking with me quietly tossing pennies on my path. When I find the pennies, He shares in my surprise and delight. And when I walk by without discovering them, He picks them up as He strolls by and tosses them in front of me again. And again.
The following is a collection of a few of the pennies I have found, so far.
penniesonmypath 