The Magic Penny

When I was a kid, I loved finding pennies on the ground. My mother taught us that heads up pennies were good luck. The tails up coins were turned over and left behind for the next person to find. 

When our own children were very little, Dave loved to create magic for them through a trick he learned from his grandfather Clare, a vaudeville acrobat and magician. Clare taught him how to tuck a penny in his hand and blow on it to make it 'disappear'. Next he would reach behind Dave's ear and find that same penny. Each time he did this trick, the kids would squeal with delight, wonder and awe! 

One day we found a penny on the playroom floor. The kids were certain that it was their Dad's Magic Penny. We couldn't figure out how it got in the playroom, but they decided it must have special powers that moved it there. The penny was placed under a cup in the hopes that they could keep an eye on it. When the children were not looking, we moved the penny to a new spot. This was the beginning of a game we called The Magic Penny. We played this game with the kids for years. It was simple, loaded with the power of fantasy and fed by the unbridled imagination of pre-schoolers. It was easy to keep the game going. They could focus on the disappearing coin for about 2 minutes before some distraction allowed us the opportunity to move it to a new place. Sometimes it took days for them to find it but they knew it would reappear eventually. Magic Pennies move freely throughout our house, penetrating all doors except the door to outside. Lucky for us, it's power ended there.

Our children loved this game so much that they taught their babysitter Louise how to play. 'Weezy', was a high school senior. She had a blast finding creative places, without getting caught, then watching them rediscover the penny. She wrote a story about our game that was published in our local paper. In it, she documented an especially difficult time in our lives when our daughter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Weezy was just beginning an exciting chapter of life, preparing for college. She was devasted by the news of Brielle's illness. She had experienced the human created magic that this game brought to our children but worried that it would be overshadowed by the medical challenges Brielle faced. Louise visited a couple years later and was relieved to learn that the magic had survived, along with our daughter. For Weezy and our children, it was all about believing.

Brielle after surgery
with friends "Clown" Betsy and Elliot

My friend Cheryl knows about magic pennies too. Like me, when she finds a penny on the ground she picks it up. Cheryl's partner, Michael, laughed at her the first time he saw her do this, saying, "I can't believe you stoop for a penny." She chanted, "Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck!". Michael chuckled at that and commented that he wouldn't bend over for anything less than a quarter. Cheryl poked his belly and jokingly countered, "you just can't bend over with this in your way!"

Michael would tease Cheryl when he saw a penny, nickel or dime, telling her she better grab it before someone else saw it and got rich off it. But she'd catch him nonchalantly reach for a quarter then tuck it in his pocket without missing a step.

Sadly, Michael passed away very suddenly. Cheryl was heartbroken. The day Michael was laid to rest Cheryl arrived home, emotionally drained. As she walked up her driveway she found a shiny new quarter lying in her path. It was a face up state quarter from the last state they visited together on their motorcycles. There was never any doubt that Michael had somehow placed it there for her to find.

It's been five years since Michael passed. Cheryl calls me often to report that she has found another quarter at just the most random yet perfect time. Once, she helped a women jump start her car, something Michael had taught her how to do. After the woman drove away, Cheryl found a quarter where the woman's car had been parked. When Cheryl got the opportunity to purchase Michael's beloved red corvette from his family, she found only a quarter in the ashtray. When she was looking through the tool box with pink handles that Michael painted for her she found a quarter in the hammer drawer. It seemed that each time she missed him most or needed his guidance she would find a quarter soon after. 

Cheryl and I have always been able to talk through difficult times together. Recently, we spent a couple of hours processing struggles we were each dealing with. Before we hung up, I told Cheryl it was time to keep our eye out for quarters from heaven. Three days later, she called me to tell me, with delight, that Michael had delivered one in an empty cabinet that she was moving in her basement. I wasn't surprised one bit! You see, that's how it goes. Cheryl finds pennies for luck; but she also finds quarters for love. Mike places them in her path so they remind her of the magic they shared.

Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck; and you never know what kind of luck it will lead to!

Michael and Cheryl "Embrace"

I'd like to give a shout out and thank you to my friend Cheryl Dias who contributed to this post and provided photos. Thank you for sharing your incredible story with me!

Beth and Cheryl, friends since 7th grade