Counting Every Penny In Life

Every year I keep my eye open for the new U.S. one cent penny. Those shiny new copper colored coins that many consider insignificant. In daily transactions at the store or restaurant, you dig deep in your pocket to find those one or two. Many places here in the U.S. will have a small dish where your can leave extra pennies or use one or two when paying your bill.

Those lonely pennies sitting in the dish, waiting to be plucked by someone to be used. And in a small way, when you can use a penny that is patiently awaiting for you, does it not bring you a bit of happiness? Come now, it just saved you from having to break that dollar bill. Oh the humanity, to end up with a large amount of change. It is that penny which saves the day in a seemingly small and insignificant way.

Myself, I look for the new penny every year for another reason. I collect a new penny for each of my children, my wife and I. A penny for each year of our lives on this great earth. With the number of children we have, eight in total, the collection has grown quite a bit. But each penny pauses me to remind that each represents someone dear to me.

A penny, the smallest denominator of our currency yet significant in what it contributes. Like each of my children, like my wife and like myself, each of us contributes to life and how we impact others around us.

See the History of the United States Penny, did you know that the one-cent coin, commonly known as the penny, was the first currency of any type authorized by the United States? The word "penny" is derived from the British coin pence and over 300 billion one-cent coins, with 11 different designs, have been minted since 1787.

Think of all those billions of pennies out there, think of all those billions of people out there, makes it easy to think you are insignificant amongst them all. We each have importance in a lot of different ways.

Near the end of each day, hold a penny in your hand for just a moment. Think of those around you, think of those you have crossed paths with during the day, think of one small positive thing that happened to you that day. Count each of these and see that they add up to something meaningful. These are our pennies in life that add up to something good.