Small Change

As I would go through my house picking up, cleaning, vacuuming...I would always find coins on the floor...dimes, nickels, quarters...I would pick them up and pocket them and put them in my penny bank. I would periodically tell the kids that change is not trash; that small change does add up.

Then one day while shopping at CVS I saw a bank that counted the change as one put the money in. I bit the bullet and spent the $9.99, hoping that I could teach a valuable lesson to my children.

The kids were fascinated as I opened the box containing the bank. More fascinated as I emptied my penny bank into the new one.  The dollar amount climbed. $30...$40...$50....The kids got excited. I left the bank on the book shelf. Throughout the next few weeks, the kids would report a new total as they put their change in the bank. Soon we topped $100.

After one month, the bank is full and can take no more money. There is over $150.00 in there. AND I am not finding any more money on the floor. I hope the lesson has been learned.

Like penny banks, life is filled with lots of small change. Small things we can do to make life a better place. A smile. A kind word. A gentle answer. A morning prayer. A few minutes each day reading the scriptures. A small, secret act of kindness everyday.  A thank you note.

As we fill our lives with these small changes, we will find that these small changes do add up to a much richer life.

I am thankful for small change.