Value of a Penny!

Meet my dad, Pete Kaylor... He passed away from cancer six years ago this month. I wanted to share a brief story on the value of a penny... one that am just now realizing...

From as far back as I can remember, my dad use to find pennies lying on the ground, and pick them up. He always made a big deal of it, by saying that they brought "good luck" & that he was "the luckiest man on the earth." When myself or my three younger sisters would ask what he meant, he would simply say, "because I have a family like you..."

Throughout my life I have also adopted his philosophy, and when I'd find a penny I too would pick it up and think to myself how lucky as was... I had a beautiful wife, two great kids, a mom & dad who loved me, wonderful sisters, fantastic friends, a job that had me traveling to places all over the world, and the opportunity to meet literally thousands of wonderful people... 

However, my dad's & my (family's) luck changed when he was diagnosed with stage four cancer in the fall of 2012. The time from his diagnosis on Halloween to his death on April 14th, 2013 seemed to pass in a blur, and before I knew what had happened we were placing him to rest... Needless to say I was a bit lost...

Just over a week later however my wife & I were taking a walk to clear our minds and low and behold, I found my first penny... It was a great find to me as it quickly transported me back my childhood & made me think of my dad, bringing a smile to my face. My wife Tasha said they were "pennies from heaven." I dismissed this as something that was a random find, but I soon found myself finding pennies all over. I literally was finding 20 or more pennies per week. I remember thinking to myself that I was likely finding them because I was missing my dad & that I was just noticing them because of his death.

This happened for about a month before I finally took one of these "pennies from heaven" and placed it in my pocket to carry around for good luck... Oddly enough I stopped finding pennies. I carried this penny around with me to Italy, France, Mexico, and all over the USA for about two months. I remember having meetings and telling many of my customers about this "good luck charm" penny... Business was going great, my family & friends were being so supportive, and I was feeling more at ease because I felt like my dad was with me in the form of this penny... That was until I lost the penny!

I remember waking up early to catch a flight and placing the penny in my pocket as I always did. I drove to the airport and when in the security line I reached in my pocket to pull the penny out for screening and it wasn't there. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I felt like I had lost my dad all over again... How could I lose the penny, it was in my pocket... Upon further examination, I had a small hole in my left-side pocket & it must have fallen out...

My whole business trip was a loss, and as ludicrous as it sounds now, I felt like I had lost everything I had gained over those past few months... When I got home late on Friday evening, Tasha wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug... my kids also came to great me with their hugs and support. I went to bed & tried to put it all behind me... that was until I woke up the next morning...

It was a Saturday morning and I had forgotten to turn my alarm off... I always put my alarm across the room, so I didn't have the snooze option... so as I rolled out of bed and as I put my feet on the floor I felt something under my foot. I reached down to pick it up and as I did, I noticed it was a penny... I got a case of the goosebumps as thought to myself that this was likely the penny I had lost. It looked the same, it was the same year... and as I inspected it more closely, I noticed it had a small hole in the top of the penny... It was a hole so I could put in on my keychain... not in a pocket with a hole... HUGE goosebumps!

That penny stayed with me for just over four years... when the hole wore through and I again lost it... This time I didn't get upset about losing the penny, but I recalled my dad reminding me to value family above all. I decided to leave the company that had me traveling so much and caused me to be away from my family so many times. I remember saying to my wife as we started up our business in 2017 that it would be great to be home everyday instead of the three to four days per week I was use to traveling for business. I remember not knowing if we would succeed of not, but trusting that we were making the best decision for our family. This February, I left my old employer to focus 100% of my attention on my wife & my company and I have never been happier. I see my beautiful wife & great kids everyday, I see my mom every Monday for breakfast, I get to spend more time with my still wonderful sisters, I have a job that supports my family and I travel the world when I want to and can bring family along!

It took me six years to realize the value of this single penny, but I am so grateful that I finally did! Thanks Dad!