The Rich Man's Penny. :)

I had received this in a email years ago and have been following this practice ever since. I always stop and pick up a single penny or coin and reflect upon it that God Trusts in me and I trust in God.

Believe! That is Key.

Yesterday I found a Copper Nickel. I have no idea where it came from or why it was Copper. I have never seen one in my entire life. Its now in my IN GOD WE TRUST COLLECTION. Along with my Gold Penny I found a few years ago and my special $1.00 Bill with the writing of God's Blessing in Spanish that someone scrawled around the outside.

Hope you enjoy the following story as much as I have. Believe.

RICH MAN'S 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 waterway, 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 value.

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 Sates of America."

"No, not that; read further." "One cent?" "No, keep reading." "In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?" "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin.

Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient...

I took the day off to EFF OFF!!

Well, I am off from my 75 hours of hell a week for the first time in 2 months.

I was suppose to drive to Mohegan Sun today to see a friend (ex boyfriend that don't ever make time for me.) I haven't seen in over a year. But I decided to sit on my Fat Ass (It's really not fat its just an expression. Its actually quite nice. LOL) and watch TV all day long.

I started managing a gas station/restaurant two months ago and I cannot believe how draining it is!! I mean seriously... I will give you some examples.

• a 65 year old blind man solicited me for Sex with him and his wife!
• Gas Pumps always going down and NO GAS!!
• Angry customers because there is NO GAS!!!
• Customers threatening to beat up my employees because of a language barrier.
• People looking down on Clerks and treating them differently.
• Customers thinking I am uneducated and dumb because I work at a Gas Station
• People thinking I don't speak English and I try to take advantage of that Situtation.
• Realizing that the whole world SMOKES!! I mean really smokes!!!!
• Selling Blunts, Cigars Papers & Tobacco Paraphernalia and knowing its not for Tobacco.
• How many young kids chew tobacco. Yuck! Sell over 150 tins a day. All College Students!
• How much weight you can lose without eating and standing for 12 hours a day.
• Underage kids handing over ID for cigarettes thinking I am stupid and can't figure out they are too young.
• Seeing people try to run scams with fake $100.00 bills.
• Meeting crooks trying to scam and do a Bait-and-switch with FAKE Phone Cards.
• Seeing how many people don't sign the back of there Credit Cards!
• Noticing how many people need a new Credit Card cause the strip is bad & not fixing it.
• Being able to guess what people will buy and there names before they speak.
• Collecting Silver Quarters.
• Knowing all the prices & locations of all brands of Cigarettes by heart.
• Working 12 Hours a day for Minimum wage and being unappreciated all the way around.

Well, as you can see. Draaaaaining. I do love my boys though. I have a whole bunch of guys working at the establishment as they go to a local language School to learn English. They are hard workers, smart, kind and a blessing to me.

I feel like I was put there to learn about Muslims, Judaism and Turkish Cultures. I have also been teaching them English and the definitions of many words. Many, I didn't even realize the definition, myself. So, its been a learning experience all the way around. I have also taught them all about Christianity, Spiritualism and the American way of Life.

Its been a rough, fun and interesting two months. I have learned so much about life. Good and Bad Business, other lands, People in general, Patience, Kindness, Love & Faith.

I find I am a little bit closer to Perfection.. if that makes any sense. What I mean is.. I strive to be a perfect living person. I try and go through life and be nice to everyone. I find.. that is few and far between. I am one of the only ones practicing this each and every day.

I get taken advantage of a lot. I am considered a push-over. I am also smarter then these people who think they are actually getting ahead by taking advantage of a good hearted persons nature. I just sit back watch and laugh. I realize they have a lot to still learn here.

I have definitely learned who actually deserves my kindness and who does not. I seriously just learned this in the last month. I am in my 30's. It took me this damn long?? I guess it did. Mind Blowing.

Kindness, Trust and Respect are all earned traits. I pay you that respect when we meet for the first time. If you don't continue to show me the same.. in return. Your Full Tank has now gone from 100% full to say 75% full. Yep. This is my new Practice. This individual may not notice the difference, because I am always nice. But believe me, my guard is now up and I am just showing you fluff. ;-)

Anyway.. Man, this day off put me on a tangent didn't it. Hehe hee.

I love my life. The good and the Bad. I learn from everything. I live each day as if it were my last. Today is a Gift. Thats why its the Present.

Go out and Enjoy it. Be Kind. Be Nice and..

Always look out for #1, But don't step in #2.