I put on my winter coat tonight for the first time this year. I really like this coat. It is warm, comfortable, easy to sit in (that’s probably a girl thing) and it looks great. It’s a good coat. 

I put my hands into the pockets and was surprised to find no gloves there. Usually, I will have somewhere between 2 and 4 gloves in my coat pockets. Sometimes the gloves match and sometimes they don’t. I was the kid who was always losing her gloves; I guess some things never change.

Anyway, I found four items in my pockets. The first was a package of Big Red gum. I like having gum handy. I usually chew only a half a piece and then get rid of it pretty quickly. Big Red has a great cinnamon taste.

In the other side pocket was a half of a package of cold medicine. These little red pills have gotten me through many tough days and nights. I keep them handy throughout the winter months. I never know when I will need one. 

Going through coat pockets can tell a lot about a person. I was surprised that there wasn’t a stack of tissues in one, or both pockets. And, I usually keep a tube of chapstick handy. Another item I need all winter. 

But, the two remaining items in my coat pockets made me laugh – 2 dimes. If you are a woman, about my age, you might have laughed too. You see, when I was a teenager and leaving our house on a date or with some friends, one of my parents would include with “have fun” the question, “do you have a dime?” I knew that I was always supposed to have a least one dime with me at all times. 

A dime was my lifeline to home. When I was young pay phones were everywhere. If I needed to get out of a situation or wanted some help, I phoned home. And, the understanding was that I would get help immediately; we would sort out issues of my culpability later. 

Kids don’t carry dimes anymore, they carry cell phones. But, it never was really about the coin, it was always about the response. 

Do you remember Carole King singing “You’ve got a friend?” The lyrics by James Taylor always touched me. You see, I think that sometimes we need to ask those we love “do you have a dime?” We need to let them know that if they call out our names, we’ll come running. 

We may just save a life. 

Love,

Jill (just one of God’s kids)

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“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Enjoy Carole King singing “You’ve Got a Friend” (https://youtu.be/0XGX98OW4Rc)