Pennies From Heaven...

that's what I call them...

...and they are real.

Once a friend sent me a story in an email about a man that was rich beyond all measure, yet while walking with his friend, he stopped to pick up a penny from the dirty ground and put it in his pocket.

His companion asked him why he would pick up a dirty penny when he had so much wealth.

The man's response was to hold the penny up and show his friend the words, "In God We Trust"

He said that it was a reminder each time he picked up a penny.

In God We Trust.

Not long after reading that story, we were in Philly for scans.  We were staying at a hotel with an indoor courtyard. Braden loved to walk around that courtyard so we did, for hours at a time in the evenings.

And as we would walk, I would pray...

and worry.

During one of our scan visits, I had watched his CT scan and was certain I had seen a new spot.

And they were acting strange and made us do another picture...something about a shadow...

I was sure the disease was progressing.

When we got back to the hotel, I had gone into the bathroom and cried and (in my head) screamed at God asking "WHY?  We have been faithful, we have given it to you, but WHY must he die? I don't understand!  I understood Heaven was the right choice for Miranda and I prayed for her to go to Heaven because she needed you more than I needed her, but WHY, WHY must I give you Braden too..I don't understand!!!"

I got it back together to take Braden out to walk...he loved it and I wanted the time to think, pray and spend a few hours with him before we got what I was certain was going to be awful news the next day.

I wanted a few more minutes of "it COULD still be okay" time before the world crashed in with those scan results.

So we headed out...

As we were walking, Braden stopped abruptly in his tracks and I bumped into him.

I nearly fell and nearly toppled him over with me.

Braden began walking again and I looked down...

there...on the carpet right where he had stopped for no apparent reason, was a penny.

I picked it up...

...and cried.

It was face up...

In God We Trust.

I put it in my pocket.

And the next day when we went for our MIBG scan, I had it in my pocket and I kept rubbing it the entire scan...and I prayed.

I closed my eyes and just kept repeating, "trust, trust..." almost a mantra.

As we left the sedation room about an hour later, I caught a glimpse of Dr. Mosse walking into the CT scan review room.

We were scheduled to meet with her in just a few minutes.

It had to be because they called her to check out "the shadow" from the CT the day before.

I kept rubbing that penny in my pocket and telling myself to trust.

After an long wait filled with apprehension, Dr. Mosse told us his scans looked improved.

I nearly fell over.

I still don't know what the problem with the CT was...

and I never asked because when you get good news,

you just say thank you and move on. :)

I believe that penny was from my mom who has been in Heaven since 1984 when she died from a brain tumor.

In fact, I know it.

I have found a penny on most of our trips to Philly although the past two I have not.  And yes, that worries me, but both of those trips have had a sundog either during or right before (from Miranda).

Once I found a penny on the seat of a cab.

Another time, I found a penny under Braden's chair in the sedation waiting room.

There have been others as well...

I keep every one of them, and on the harder days, I pull them out and rub each of them and remind myself to

TRUST.

Pennies from Heaven...

TAKE THAT cANCER!