"Grandma, when you get to heaven send me a lot of pennies": days later the granddaughter finds coins hidden all over the house

by Alison Forde

July 16, 2021

"Grandma, when you get to heaven send me a lot of pennies": days later the granddaughter finds coins hidden all over the house
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The love that a grandmother can instill in her grandchildren is one of a kind. Of course, the feeling that the child's parents are able to convey is unparalleled, but we all know that most of the best memories of our childhood and adolescence are linked to the contact and the time we spent with our grandfather and grandmother. Not only patriarchs of the family, but also relatives with so much experience who have left us life lessons and pearls of wisdom in our hearts that we will always hold close to us.

via Love What Matters

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Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

 Michelle McDougal, the woman who told in her own words about the beautiful relationship with her grandmother whom she affectionately called "Nana", spared no details and moved the whole world when she decided to share on Love What Matters, in her own words, the extraordinary gesture made by her grandmother two days before she passed away.

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Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Here is Michelle's story: "" From day one my grandmother and I have had a very close relationship. I was born on her 39th birthday on a cold December morning. The first of her 7 grandchildren. We shared 45 birthdays together, usually with 2 cakes side by side. Over the years we have shared many experiences together. Family camping trips, weekend shopping with girls, card games around the table; the list goes on and on. But my favorite moments with my grandmother were those quiet moments when we could just sit and talk, in person or on the phone, we talked about everything.

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

To me she was my world, but that world collapsed when she was diagnosed with cancer. But in true Nana fashion, she fought hard and after 2 years she received an all clear. So we were all quite surprised when the doctor said her cancer had returned and there was nothing they could do for her. Me, my mother, my cousin and two aunts spent the nights taking turns with Nana. I've had so many great chats with her in the past few months, but there's one in particular that I'll never forget.

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Nana's last goodnight was when I took my turn to spend the night with her. We laughed and ate Chinese food while watching some of her favorite shows; when we finished, I held her hand and said, "Nana, when you get to heaven please send me lots of change so I know you're still close to me." She laughed and said, "Okay, Michelle." My grandmother passed away only 2 days later, on Thanksgiving night.

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

 Michelle then finally told what the "posthumous" surprise was that her grandmother had let her discover for herself: "Immediately after her passing, I started to find coins. Not a few, but tens and tens of cents. Those dozens of cents. have turned into hundreds and hundreds of cents. My mom joked and said, “Michelle, you should have told her to send us twenty dollar bills.” But the cents are perfect for me because that's exactly what I asked her. I pick up each one and whisper: "Thanks nana, I love you!"

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Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

I've found coins in the strangest places. For example in a room that had just been vacuumed, or for example in the shower, or in a box that contained an ornament that I had given her. I have chosen to keep them all. I knew I could do something special with some of those, but I wasn't quite sure what. As we approached 4 years after her death, I finally figured out what I wanted to do with my money from heaven. With my husband's help I screwed together some old barn boards and started carefully gluing on every penny.

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Memories of Nana quickly flooded my mind as tears filled my eyes: a heart. It had to be a heart because what else is there to symbolize such deep love? I quickly pulled out a letter she had given me and scanned it into my computer. My husband carefully traced the words "Love and kisses Nana". My eyes filled with tears, but my heart was filled with nothing but love." 

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Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

Michelle McDougal/Love What Matters

How many handkerchiefs did you use up as you read the moving testimony of Michelle and her wonderful granny? 

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