My dad always collected quarters. He was delighted when the new U.S. state quarters were announced. He would go to his longtime neighborhood banker and make sure they put at least twenty rolls of each new quarter aside for him. It was a special treat and a family tradition to get your quarters from Grandpa. He gave them to his children, to his grandchildren and closest friends. He loved the whole process of collecting—carefully placing one of each state quarter in the special collectors edition portfolio as they were issued.
When my dad passed, I felt such a sense of emptiness. My father and I had been so close, I was lost without his guidance, support and wisdom. I wondered if I would ever feel my dad around me again. I wished I could have some kind of reassurance that he was there, watching over me. It was right after Hurricane Katrina and I was doing a motivational seminar for about three hundred volunteers. At the end of the event, everyone was in a circle and as I looked at the faces of these generous, committed individuals—I felt so grateful and appreciative. I again wished my dad were there to see me with these amazing people. I looked down in the center of the circle. To my astonishment, I saw nothing on the floor except for one state quarter, from North Carolina, the state in which my dad was born and raised.
Then, two months later, I went back to North Carolina to visit my mom. While I was there, I went to the bank to cash a check. The bank manager, who had known me since I was a little girl, called me into her office. The quarters for all the states my dad had ordered were in the corner of the office. She didn’t know why, but she felt she needed to hold them for me.
Ever since that time, throughout the years, I have found quarters at the most extraordinary times, when I needed support the most. When I needed the strength to pull my son’s tooth (a job that my dad used to be responsible for), a quarter miraculously appeared. When I need emotional support during a tough time, a quarter will show up in a strange place.
It has now become a tradition in our house and family. Every time a quarter appears, one of my kids says, “Oh, it’s Grandpa!” At the most unbelievable times—even in foreign countries—a quarter appears. I found an American quarter in Fiji! Even in my brand-new car—when I picked it up from the dealership, I found a quarter under the mat.
My daughter, my two sons, my mom, my friends, and I all feel a sense of peace and comfort every time a lone quarter turns up in an unexpected place. We have all accepted it as a message of love, guidance and support from my dad—and every new quarter we find makes us smile.