Eulogy for a friend

Dear friends.  Today is a sad, and humbling day.  Yet at the same time, we should look not to the past with sorrow, but use it to step boldly into the future.  Today, we have lost a true, dear friend.

The Canadian Penny was with us always.  He was that little spark that reminded us there are small things in life, and sometimes, there are small prices.  Penny, as he was often called, with the proud image of the Queen on one side, a bold and beautiful maple leaf on the other, was a symbol that we never quite forgot.  Still, while the penny was always there for us, there times that we weren’t always there for the penny.

We could always see Penny, sitting there in a handful of change.  Penny was always easy to differentiate from Dime and Nickle, often which Dime being mistaken for Nickle and vice versa.  And sometimes, Nickle was mistaken for Quarter.  But not Penny.  Penny was bronzed and different, something you could see and know without studying closely.  You could spot it from the corner of your eye and say with pride and confidence “That is a Penny!”.

But that day is coming to an end.  The Canadian Mint will no longer bring life to these hardy and noble pieces of currency.  With the passing of the penny, so too will pass on such memorable things as “Penny for your thoughts” or “A penny or a pound” and “A penny saved is a penny earned” plus “penny pinchers”.  One can only think, what does this spell for Penny’s family.  What must Dime be thinking, and will the phrase “stop on a dime” follow suit?

Penny, you were the last thing I wanted to see leave this world.  I would have much preferred that pocket lint left before you.  You, Penny, after all, were something I enjoyed pulling out of my pocket far more than lint.

Though your time with us is short, dear Penny, know that you will be missed.  Yet, I believe that while you will no longer be produced, no longer have love and tenderness etched into the two sides you so lovingly display, that you will not be gone forever.  For you will continue to gather in places like old peanut butter jars, the tops of bedroom dressers, that spot next to the keys on the fridge and even between the cushions on the couch.

Penny, oh penny, you will be missed.