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Back A Penny for Your Thoughts Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. A PENNY
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Thirty-Three
  38. Thirty-Four
  39. Thirty-Five
  40. Thirty-Six
  41. Thirty-Seven
  42. Thirty-Eight
  43. Thirty-Nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-One
  46. Forty-Two
  47. Forty-Three
  48. Forty-Four
  49. Forty-Five
  50. Forty-Six
  51. Forty-Seven
  52. Forty-Eight
  53. Forty-Nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-One
  56. Fifty-Two
  57. Fifty-Three
  58. Fifty-Four
  59. A Sample Chapter of Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
  60. About the Author
  61. Other Books by Mindy Starns Clark
  62. About the Publisher

“For what it’s worth,” he said now, “I’m sorry I brought you in to all of that mess. If I had had any idea how it would turn out…” He let his voice trail off.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Good for me, in a way. Made me confront some things I’ve been needing to deal with for a while.”

I thought of Marion, of her dilemma over her husband’s suicide.

“Let me ask you something, Tom,” I said. “Do you think a person who kills himself automatically goes to hell? I don’t. I was always taught that when we accept Christ, all of our sins are forgiven—past and future.”

“I’m not sure what I think,” he answered. “The nature of forgiveness is a very difficult concept to grasp. I’ve never thought about suicide in those terms. But I know a lot of people who believe the way Marion does, that if her husband had died by his own hand, he would’ve automatically been condemned for eternity.”

“Don’t you think the Lord knows the anguished heart of a man contemplating suicide? Don’t you think He takes that into account on judgment day?”

“I don’t know, Callie,” Tom said. “I do think that sometimes God forgives our sins long before we are able to forgive ourselves.”

I thought about that for a moment, hearing something in the somber tone of his voice. It wasn’t the first time Tom had spoken this way, had spoken of the need for self-forgiveness. I wondered about that, wishing I could understand the burdens he carried.

A penny for your thoughts, Nick had said to me the night before. I thought that now, about Tom. How little I knew about him, really, when it came down to it.

“You struggle with forgiveness, don’t you, Tom,” I said, unable to help myself, knowing that his life—his sins—were his business and not mine.

“More than you know, Callie,” he answered after a long pause. “More than you could ever know.”

We hung up a few minutes later, but I stayed there on the deck, looking out at the sun and the river, listening to Sal grapple with her favorite chew toy at my feet. I thought about Tom and his private struggles, about the Smythes’ great wealth and their heartaches, and I knew I had them all beat hands down.

I couldn’t bring Bryan back, but I could live a life that honored him. I could protect his image in my memories. And I could maybe, just maybe, learn to let go and give love another chance.