Kelly Gibbons, artist and writer, about me

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yes, I'm Irish and my grandfather's a leprechaun--well he'd like to be for Notre Dame anyway.

I don't know if you are familiar with the "Dime Story" or Dear Abby's "Pennies from Heaven" stories, but I love them. The "Dime Story" is about a little boy who had a game going with his mother. At times she would give him a dollar for his bank and he would give her a dime back. I can't remember all the details but they would say something to each other and it went on for a while. The little boy was sick and died and when his mother was cleaning out his room, she found the dimes and something else.

The rest of the story goes on to talk about other people finding dimes in odd places and always being reminded of a deceased love one. Dear Abby's "Pennies from Heaven" is much the same. There are stories from people who lost someone and the pennies show up in the oddest places. One involved a fire fighter in the World Trade Center Tragedy. His mother wanted a sign that he was OK and when they found him there was some sort of religious medal and I think and a penny in his pocket with his year of birth or hers. I don't remember, but the mother was comforted by this. Anything that is a comfort is OK in my book.

I love these stories and have had many of my own penny and dime sittings. My first thought is that they are from my Grandmother who has been gone for almost 14 years.

Another part to this story is the purple afghan that my grandma made me as a wedding present. I display it on the back of my couch and I use it often. That's what Grandma would have wanted. The day my Grandma died, I wrapped myself in the afghan and thought if I ever needed a hug all I had to do was put it around me and I would get one from Gram. She touched every thread of it when she made it, so her presence is definitely there.

This morning when I got up, I thought, "Boy, Gramma, I could use a hug." So, I picked up the afghan and underneath it was a dime. She was definitely here. I laughed out loud and said, "Well, Gramma, I would wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day, but I know you are not Irish." (Every time I said it to her when she was alive, she would say "I'm not Irish," and I would say, "But Grandpa is and so am I.")

OK, now I know this will sound wired--but hasn't all of this so far. Later after thinking about Gram for a while, I went back to the couch where I found the dime and there was a shiny new 2004 penny in the same spot. In my penny sittings, I always find the year significant, I always think of someone who died or was born that year. Well, my brother and his wife just had a baby, so I think my Gram was trying to tell me to wish them well.

Weird or not, true or not, I don't care. Anything that makes me think of my Gram and feel that she is watching over me is a very good think. So Gram, wherever you are I know you are smiling, and I know what you are going to say, "But Happy St. Patrick's Day anyway!"

posted by Kelly @ 3/17/2004 08:09:00 AM

0 Comments: