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A Penny
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 water-way, 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 valuable.
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?"
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