Pennies from Heaven

I was walking along the river last month and came across a bright, shiny penny just laying on the sand.  It was inches from the water, and there were no footprints around it - only some animal tracks.

This was at an undeveloped stretch of river, far from sidewalks and parking lots.  It is a place where I have never seen another hiker, although I have come across their footprints every now and then.

I wondered if it had it been buried there before, and only just now come to light due to erosion.  But no, that could not be.  It was too clean, and was not partially buried.

When I told people about it, one person suggest that maybe a crow had dropped it there.  They are said to like shiny things.  Maybe that could be, but there wasn't an indentation in the sand, as if it had been dropped.

 It was resting on the top grains of sand - a shiny, new 2013 penny.

I picked it up, and have carried it with my in my camera bag ever since.  It wasn't a part of the natural world, and it wasn't an artifact from history, so I believe this was in keeping with Leave No Trace principles.  Plus, I liked it.  It was unusual.  And I felt that it meant something, but I didn't know what.

Then, last week, a friend mentioned to me something about angels from heaven leaving pennies for people.  I had never heard about this before, but the idea is that angels watch over us, and sometimes show their presence by leaving pennies in our paths.

I believe in angels, and I think that they might often be family members who have passed on before us.  I don't know if they leave pennies for sure, but I believe that God can speak to us in many ways.  And once I heard that story, I thought of my mom who passed away last year.  I don't know if she left that penny for me to find, but I do like to think that she looks in on me now and then.