Five Pennies/Five Cheer leaders

High school football season has started and Curtis and I have been enjoying going to the games for our Friday night dates to watch our daughter cheer.  As I watch her, I am reminded of another penny miracle story....

Sydney is second from the left on the back row.

Last Spring, Sydney attended the first day of cheer clinics for Woods Cross High school.  She was nervous about trying out for the cheer team.  We listened carefully during the meeting to the coach explain the requirements for trying out and looked around at all the girls who were also there to try out for the team.  Included in this group were four of Sydney's dear friends from her Jr. High cheer team.  They were all nervous about the upcoming week and learning the tryout routines, cheers and performing their tumbling passes for the judges.

After the meeting we were walking out of the gym and when we got to the stairs, I noticed several pennies on the ground.  I pointed them out to Sydney and her friend Gabby and told the story of Mason and I finding the first penny.  I explained about expecting miracles in life and how when we find a penny on the ground, we know it is going to be a miracle day.  Sydney and Gabby excitedly picked up the pennies and I told them the pennies represented their personal cheer miracles.

The next day they went to the cheer clinic to work on learning the dance, cheers and jumps.  There were not as many girls at the clinic as there were on the first day.  Sydney was stressed and so were her friends.  They had a mock try out and Sydney felt her tumbling pass was not as strong as she had hoped.  After the mock tryout, the coach talked to one girl who left and had the remaining girls line up and told them they all made the team.  Apparently since she made the requirements so hard, including a standing back tuck, and a layout to make the team, many of the girls dropped out.  The coach told the remaining 20 girls she wanted them on the team.  So they did not have to go home and practice and stress for two more days until tryouts.  

Sydney got a ride home and rang the doorbell when she got home.  I opened the door and she jumped into my arms with her legs around my waist.  "What are you doing? I asked, she told me, "I made the Woods Cross cheer team!!!"  I was so confused until she explained what had happened at the clinic that afternoon.  She was exuberant with joy and relief and told me her four friends also made the team.  

Jr High team at their final performance.  Four of the five girls, Em, Ani, Sydney, Gabby who made the High School team.

I had promised if she and Gabby made the team, I would take them to "Best Burger" a local burger joint to celebrate.  Neither of them had ever eaten there and we drive by it all the time.  The girls asked if I would also eat a burger with them and if they could pick out my burger for me.  They teased me about picking out the most unhealthy burger on the menu for me.  I agreed to their conditions.  

Sydney and Miranda

So the next day I took them to "Best Burger" during their school lunch time.  We invited the other mothers of Sydney's friends who also made the team.  While we were eating our fully loaded bacon cheeseburgers, fries and chocolate shakes, I reminded Sydney and Gabby of the pennies they found the day before and then what happened the very next day when they made the team without having to go through two more days of practicing and stress before the actual tryout.  I told them they had seen the hand of God in their lives.  They were so happy, wow!  Then Tani Anderson, one of the other mothers asked them how many pennies they had found.  They had found five pennies!  Tani pointed out to them that all five girls from South Davis made the high-school cheer team.  The girls were amazed!  It was sweet to see them recognize God's hand in their lives.

High School Football game-Sydney is the middle flyer

I still had the pennies they had found in a safe place.  I decided to figure out how to make them into bracelets for the girls to remind them of this amazing miracle in their lives.  We punched holes in the pennies and  braided them onto cording bracelets for each of the girls.  They were so happy.  I wanted them to remember that they had seen a personal miracle and the hand of God in their lives.

26 cents

The first part of this post is from about a year ago.  There is a reason I am starting with such an old story from my journal.  The reason will become clear at the end of the post.

"WOW! What a week of miracles! On Monday while walking with friends after the gym, I found a penny on the ground and said, "Miracle day!" They laughed and told me that I always find the pennies on the ground. I have told them about pennies representing miracles for me. Pennies from Heaven like miracles from Heaven. Then as we kept walking, I found a quarter!! Wow, 26 cents/ miracles from Heaven. I always put the coins in a jar for my son who is serving a mission at the time and call them mission miracles. So when I got home, I put the coins in "Tanner's Mission Miracle" jar. Then I went on with my day and week.

My sisters: Nancy, Judy, Lori, Me, Kathy, Melanie

Well I talked to my sister Nancy on Monday and she was so discouraged with her health and feeling hopeless like she would never get well. I tried to encourage her, but the fact is it stinks that she is suffering. We continue to exercise our faith on her behalf.   It is hard to stay the course of treatment when you feel so badly and don't see results. Well Tuesday I called her and she was full of hope because she had had a few moments without symptoms and was shown what it would be like to feel normal again. I was so grateful for this miracle.

Nancy doing what she loves, camping even though she has to hold her eyes open.

 Then Wednesday, I sent a text to someone dear and they responded that they were pregnant. WOW! This has been in my prayers for some time and I wept with joy for them and thanked Heaven for this blessing and miracle.

Then on Thursday, Brandon and Melissa told us that Kelloggs came to them and increased the job offer and actually created a position for Brandon at headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan. The job is just what Brandon wanted to do, but thought it would take 5-10 years to get to headquarters. He will be in charge of talent development and Organizational behavior for the company. He wanted his work to make a difference, WOW! This is a huge miracle! So it looks like they will be moving to Michigan.  [They moved to Michigan on June 1st and are loving their home and experience there.]

Bennetts

On Friday, the someone dear who told me their were pregnant on Wednesday lost the baby, we are sad, but grateful to know that her body can get pregnant."

SO FOR THE BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!

Last week my brother and his wife had their first baby.  They were the someone dear I wrote about a year ago finding out their were pregnant and then loosing the baby.  A few months later, they were able to get pregnant again and last week they had a sweet little girl.  My brother is over 40 and this is his first child.  There are so many reasons this baby is a miracle, but it is not my place to share them.  Just know that this is truly a joyful miracle in our family and we are all rejoicing!

The first penny!

About three years ago, my son Mason was preparing to serve an LDS mission in Romania.  During the weeks before he left, we would run together in the mornings.  This time became very precious to me knowing he would be leaving soon for two years.  We would have long talks as we ran and discuss life, dreams, and of course Mason's upcoming mission.  My husband, Curtis, and I served a mission in Chile for three years with all of our children when Mason was 11-14-years-old.  Curtis and and I were responsible for about 225 missionaries over 500 in all over the  three years.  So teaching and helping a missionary was a joy to me and I loved sharing ways for Mason to serve his mission in the best possible way.

Curtis and I on the right with some of our amazing beloved missionaries

One morning we were running and talking and I remember trying to explain how God's merciful hand is in our lives.  I told Mason he should expect miracles and then give thanks when the miracles occur.  I told him that God wants to bless his children, and that he orchestrates situations or circumstances to better our lives or invite us to draw closer to him.  Most of us just chalk these times up to "chance" or "luck."  But I believe these are miracles from heaven.  Just then we ran by a penny on the street.  Of course we just ran on by...but then I stopped and turned around and ran back and picked up the penny.  Mason stopped also and was just watching his crazy Mom, wondering what I was doing.  I came back to Mason and held out the penny, "It is like the old song, "Pennies From Heaven," we see pennies on the ground all the time and very few people stop to pick them up or even notice the pennies, they just get kicked and stepped on and scratched and marred.  "From now on, Mason," I said, "Whenever we see a penny or a coin on the ground, we are going to pick it up and know that it is going to be a MIRACLE DAY!!" 

A wonderful family Mason taught in Romania.  

 

 

 

Elder Mason Bennett in Romania

When we returned home that morning, I found a "Mason" jar and wrote, "Mason's Mission Miracles" on the jar and placed that first penny inside.  From then on and for two years, every coin I found, I placed in "Mason's Mission Miracle" jar.  It was a reminder to me that God loves each of his children.  He wants to bless us and IF we look, we can see miracles all around us.  The pennies I found helped me to remember to look for the miracles.  They reminded me to see God's hand in my life and the lives of those around me.  I have found much joy in the simple reminder of a penny on the ground. 

We were able to visit Romania at the end of Mason's mission.  Sydney, Sheri, Tanner and Elder Bennett.  Tanner is now serving an LDS mission in Ecuador.

Elder Mason Bennett

Beautiful Romania