Thursday, April 26, 2007

Pennies from Heaven

"Dear Abby" often features little stories from people who find pennies in odd places and welcome them as little "signs" from loved ones in Heaven. I don't know if Dad ever read Dear Abby, but he seems to have adopted the practice himself, only with a lawyerly spin. Would you believe...paper clips from Heaven?
Shortly after his death, my sister Mary began seeing paper clips in the most unusual spots. She automatically associated them with Dad, because the lowly paper clip was his tool of choice for adjusting his hearing aids, and he frequently asked Mary to get him a paper clip for that purpose. The strangest paper clip sighting was at Dillards, when Mary and her 23-year-old daughter were shopping for shoes. There was a paper clip inside the shoe Erin was trying on.
When Mom came to Chicago, we had a paper clip from Heaven, too. I had been organizing things in my office and muttered to Dad, "I could really use a BIG paper clip." Not having one, I made do with something else, and then Mom and I went to the noon Mass at St. Peter's. After Mass, Mom genuflected and reached to the ground, coming up with...a BIG paper clip. (She didn't know about my need.) A few days later, going for physical therapy, I found the locker I usually use was occupied, so I went toward a different one, and as I got there, I found a BIG paper clip right in front of the locker I had chosen. And on Tuesday, realizing that our telephone message had been inadvertently recorded over, I went to check the other recordings. There was a BIG paper clip resting in front of the phone. ("Thanks, Dad.")
Do you get pennies...or paper clips... from Heaven, too?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The shoe incident was funny--I took it to mean that Dad was giving me the OK to buy Erin that pair of shoes. Another time, I was walking across the street and saw a paperclip in the road. I thought, "I'm not going to stop for this one up because I'll get hit by a car!" However after I crossed the street, there was a second one on the neutral ground for me to safely pick up! "Hi Dad!" ----harv681

Anonymous said...

Since 1995 I have been receiving "Pennies from Heaven"
and have written an account of them called "Pennies in my Path" (2004)
I continue receiving pennies in my path ....the story is quite long so if anyone would like to read, please email me at: fishpyc@yahoo.com

debangel said...

This is wonderful! I'd love to share my "pennies from Heaven" equivalent..it's on my blog, www.acharmedlife.typepad.com. Look under "Weird Wednesdays", and/or November 29, 2006. It's called, "Of Miracles and Miracle Whip". It ay sound silly, but the idea that God personalized a message to me in that level of detail is what eventually led me back to the Church I hadn't attended in over 20 years. Sister Anne, I would love to send it to you as well, and ask you another question or two...would it be possible for me to email you directly? Thank you!