I was leaving the restaurant where I work when a glimmer caught my eye. The sunlight reflecting off the face of a shiny penny lying in the doorway. Just a penny, I thought, stepping over it, leaving it for someone else to pick up. I used to believe that “pennies from heaven” were a sign that someone was watching over me. But with all the stress in my life lately, I’d stopped believing in such silly things.
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My husband, Tyler, and I had moved to Hawaii four years earlier, hoping to jumpstart our careers as chefs. Hawaii seemed like paradise at first—the food, culture, natural wonders—but I didn’t anticipate how hard it would be to live 6,000 miles from our family in Delaware. There I worked side by side with my parents in their restaurant. If I was having a hard day, I could always swing by their place for a nice long chat. Not here. “I wish you and Dad were here with me,” I told Mom one night on the phone.
Now Tyler and I had a toddler and a newborn, and I was exhausted from the long days in the kitchen and even longer nights with an infant. Lord, I need some reassurance that you’re here with me, I prayed one night, rocking my son to sleep. When I opened my eyes, I saw a penny lying at my feet.
Over the coming days, it seemed like I found a penny whenever I was feeling exhausted or anxious. I never told anyone about the pennies, but each time I saw one, I felt a sense of peace.
Today however, the restaurant had been crazy, and I was tired from too many nights with little sleep. This penny in the doorway? Just a penny. If God was trying to reach me, it wasn’t enough.
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“You okay?” Tyler asked that night when I got home.
“I guess so,” I said, shrugging. “Maybe I just need some rest.” I hugged him then headed to bed.
The next morning Tyler kissed me goodbye and headed out the door to work. I was pouring myself a cup of coffee when he burst back in. “Honey, you’ve got to see this,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“What?” I said. I followed him outside to the parking lot of our apartment.
Our parking spot glimmered in the sunshine. Walking closer, I saw why. Encircling our car, and only our car, were hundreds and hundreds of pennies.
“Where do you think they came from?” Tyler asked.
“I’m pretty sure I know,” I said, feeling that peace flow through me once again.
