THE
It was a Sunny day in Berkeley and Kay Jorgensen was in seminary. This particular day, she was walking down Shattuck Avenue to get herself some lunch when suddenly she felt something hit her upper arm. She stopped, turned, and saw a man standing at the bottom of the BART station steps. He waved and pointed and yelled up to her, “They’re down there!” She looked down and, indeed, there were two pennies. She reached down to pick them up and thought, “Well, now…that’s strange.” She put them in her pocket and went on her way.
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When Kay got to the Blue & Gold Grocery, she picked out a sandwich, and went back to the refrigerator section of the store to get something to drink. Just then a man walked up to her and said, “You wouldn’t happen to have two pennies, would you?” He gestured to the drink in his hand, “If I only had just two more cents, I could get myself this drink.” Kay realized, of course, that she did have two pennies.
She pulled those two pennies out of her pocket, the ones that had showed up just moments before, right there at the top of the BART station stairs, and she handed them to the man. He bought his drink and left.
While Kay was paying for her own sandwich and drink, the song "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens played on the overhead speaker. It was one of her favorite songs. As she listened, she thought something unique just happened. She didn't understand exactly what, but she took note of the moment.
Years later, reflecting on that early experience of hers, Kay understood that she would have, and
PENNY
STORY
now we, Faithful Fools, also trust that we have what is needed before it is asked of us.
This is a story from Kay Jorgensen's life. Kay was co-founder of Faithful Fools with Carmen Barsody. Kay had this experience with two pennies in the early 80s, long before she met Carmen. The experience returned to her after she and Carmen decided to work and walk together in the Tenderloin. They founded the Fools in 1998 with the help of many people, each of whom seemed to appear just at the right time.
Kay reflected upon those two pennies that appeared just when someone asked if she had "two pennies to spare." She realized that indeed she did have what she needed when asked. This is our story of trust: We trust that we have what we need to do the work that is asked of us.
Kay Jorgensen in 1998 around the time she began reflecting on her penny experience.
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Two Pennies do make a difference. We do trust that we will have what we need to serve before we are asked. If you would like to support the work of Faithful Fools or just be two pennies in the world, please volunteer or donate.
