On our first anniversary I started a tradition of giving my husband a penny. It has become a penny of many. The idea was that pennies and wedding anniversaries start out the same. In the beginning both are shiny and new. Over time the shine can dull but that doesn’t mean the value changes. A coin and a year are both drops in the buckets of banking and time. Neither can be bought and it takes a long time for money or years to accumulate. The patience and dedication required for pennies and anniversaries to amass are rewarded in ways other than wealth. Believing in the worth of a coin or a marriage can make all the difference in keeping or letting go of them.
When I give Tyler a penny not just any will do, it has to be from the current year. The date is a reminder of when we started and how far we have come. I chose the penny specifically for a couple of reasons. First of all, it isn’t much but it’s a start, and our first anniversary was a start. I knew there would be more to come. And just like the coin says, “In God we trust,” we trust that there will be many more. I didn’t think of it then but, Lincoln’s face and the belief that honesty has to exist for a marriage to be successful, is another reason the penny was appropriate.
In any marriage there are good days and bad days, heads and tails days. There are even lucky penny days when you discover something unexpected in your relationship that brings a smile to your face. Those are the ones to tuck in your pocket and cherish.
As of this morning Tyler has received his nineteenth penny. It’s a penny of many.
