Saturday, December 31, 2011

Why dimes from Heaven?


Here I go again...trying to keep up with another Blog. I've started a few in the past but never had the motivation or interest to keep it going. I'm hoping this time, I've come across something that will last!
....as for the whole "dimes from Heaven" thing...let me just share a bit of the history behind that. I was born and raised Catholic and have always had a belief in God and have made church and prayer a part of my life. I'm also a very sensible person and always try to come up with the practical reasons behind things. Throughout my life however, I have some experiences that I cannot explain...although I do try....I just chalk them up to "life's little mysteries."
In March 2009, my life changed dramatically when my mom passed away to a very short battle with cancer. She was not just my "mom" but my best friend...the one person who I could count on to be there when I needed her...to talk to, laugh and cry with....we shared a home for 19 years...just the two of us after my father passed away. Of course when she died, I tried to reach out to her...to get some kind of "sign" that she was OK and that she was still there with me. At first, I would find little safety pins in unusual places. My mom loved to sew and she always had a safety pin tacked onto her robe, or sweater...just in case. These safety pins must have been her way of saying, "I'm OK..." The safety pins stopped showing up and then I noticed something ELSE. I would find dimes...in strange places. At first it was just a dime on the seat of my car, or in the parking lot at work....not a penny, or a quarter or a nickle...always a dime. Then one morning after an emotionally draining evening...I went down in the garage and found 10 dimes on the ground by my car. I couldn't believe it! I picked them up and stuck them in my pocket. Throughout that day, I would hear them jingle and think of my Mom. That was about two years ago...and I've never found that many dimes in one pile since...but I do still find them..every now and then...on my car seat, on the floor in the kitchen...just random places. When I do find them, I pick it up and look up the sky and say "thanks Mom!"
Yesterday, I dropped a friend off for an out patient procedure and had about an hour to wait for her. I drove over to the Barnes and Nobel and browsed through the books. I picked up one on dream interpretations and bought myself a cup of coffee....while I waited for the call. It was a very nice, relaxing way to spend the time. On my way out, there was a man standing there...he was an ordinary looking middle aged man..dressed in typical business attire....as I passed by him he asked, "do you have a dime?"....not sure if he was talking to me or not...I kept on walking. When I see people outside of stores asking for money, I try to give them a dollar and say a little prayer for them to myself....but this time I walked right past.....but as I walked away I was thinking about what he said...not "can you spare some change.." or "do you have any change to spare"...he specifically asked for a dime! I sat in my car and pulled a dollar bill out of my wallet. I thought I would just drive back to the front of the store and hand it to him. It had only been about two or three minutes...but he was already gone. I drove around the parking lot looking for him but he was nowhere to be found!
So, this is where the Blog comes in....this is my way of sharing a "dime"...with others. I'm going to try to update this at least weekly with stories of experiences I have had...things that may make you laugh, or cry...things that you may also have experienced...or things that may leave you wondering....how or why?
I think it will be a great way to lead into a new year!