The Value of a Penny - personal story

I learned the value of a penny from my dad in childhood. Each Saturday we would go to the small town of Camarillo for groceries and the Sunday paper. I loved to read the Sunday comics. I was about eight years old back in the forties. This wasn't far from the depression days, our family wasn't poor, nor were we wealthy. My dad worked in a tree nursery.

I looked forward to the tradition of shopping and on occasion we would go to the old drug store where you could stand on a scale, get your weight and a fortune on a ticket that would come out of the weighing scales. I was looking forward to being weighed, I was a skinny little guy, but growing. My dad gave me a penny and I put it in the scales. It came out down at the bottom, where the coin return was. I placed it in again and again it passed through. I was so disappointed that I took that penny and through it out into the street. My dad was watching my anger and he said you are going to get a whipping for that. I looked for the penny, but it couldn't be found.

After grocery shopping, I knew my dad had forgotten his oath, after all it was only a penny. As my usual thing was, I was laying on the floor of our living room reading the funnies. We lived up on a little hill surrounded by 20 acres of citrus trees, avocados, corn, beans, watermelons, it was a paradise. My best friend's dad owned a hundred acres of walnut trees. This was my favorite place to live, although my dad would get angry at the boss, finally he quit, taking us out of paradise to the suburbs of LA, ugh.

As I was reading the funnies my dad said, go get a peach tree branch, you are going to get that whipping for throwing away that penny. Wow, that hurt and to this day when I see a penny on the ground, I usually pick it up.

As I recount this story, I see now it wasn't necessarily the penny that I was being corrected for, but the anger. My dad often would become frustrated and angry with the poverty, and the attitudes of those he worked for towards a poor "Arky," and he would quit. My dad would later tell me to stay with my work, don't quit. I had followed his advise. Wherever I worked, I continued, doing the best I could. I found that my best, was always rewarded, not perhaps with more money but with a satisfaction knowing you were the best at what you were doing. This continued until I decided to start my own business. My folks were upset that I would leave my work for something so chancy. They said no. But, I had rededicated my life to the Lord. He was saying yes. The business I have continued with, my only job now for 26 years. Really my work is the work of the Lord.

Before my dad died he typed out three copies of his life story, one at a time, one for each of his sons. There were over fifty pages long. As I read his story I learned that he was from a well respected family in Arkansas. His dad owned a general store and a prized herd of Hereford cattle. His dad experimented making new kinds of flowers and plants, was quite creative. He died in his 60's leaving a mortgage on the farm to pay off. My dad quit school in the fifth grade. He and his brother worked and paid off the mortgage, then came the great depression. My folks left Arkansas for the golden state. I learned that my dad who told me to not be angry and stay with my job had been angry many times and had fifty jobs! Well, he knew by experience.

One final note, in my family there was little anger shown. It was a peaceful family. When I began to work and saw the anger in people and their fighting, it almost brought tears. A big story about a penny. A story really of correcting anger in a young boys heart and the value in having a job. If nothing else, I learned not to quit when things were upsetting.

Phil 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Phil 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Phil 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Gary

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