The following stories have been shared with us to be shared with you...
"I received an Angel Coin shortly after I suffered a stroke. I have kept it with me throughout all of my rehabilitation. Now I never leave my apartment without my Angel coin. Evidence of this is the faded circle on the back pocket where that's hard to miss. It's presence symbolizes a spiritual connection for me. Being a performer it seems to tap into that same connection where all great performances come from."
"I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the Caring Coins my Mom sent me. I have actually seen these before. When a community member died last spring, my best friend found one of the coins under her car seat and I thought they were the cutest coins. I have certainly come across many times when I've doubted my ability to live out in Montana without my friends and family, and have come across many struggles when I think about my friend who passed away last spring (when you saw me in church). Your coins really mean a lot to me and I hope that they remind me everyday that I can overcome any fears that I have when I am lonely out here. Thank you so much for the inspiration."
A daughter whose Mom was suffering with Alzheimer's disease tells how she placed a Caring Coin on each of the side rales of her mother's bed. "Although she couldn't remember who we were, the angel on the Caring Coin touched something deep inside of her and seemed to calm her."
An actor writes, "I keep my Caring Coin in my pocket when I perform."
"Trudy smiled a sad little smile and tucked the Caring Coin into her eyeglass case. I too was sad as I watched this once lively, "love of life and all she met" woman. Her once sparkling green eyes were dulled-all spark gone. Trudy, my sister's mother-in-law, was lying in a hospice just waiting for the inevitable. She didn't say much when I gave her the coin or, for that matter, very few words were spoken during my visit. When she passed a few weeks later, I did not expect to hear anything more about the coin. But at the funeral her daughter told me that Trudy had showed her the coin before she died. I'm glad."
Three parents who had all lost children and had met through a support group would come to Vermont together every year. They noticed my Caring Coin on my key chain. They asked if they could share the Angel coins and the message "You are never alone" with other members of their support group. They have since written to tell me that the Angel coins were warmly received and have provided great comfort and a feeling of connection with the members of their group and their lost love ones.
"I believe that loneliness, a loneliness so deep, that some of us aren't even aware it is there, is one of the biggest problems we face today as a world. The coin, a simple piece of wood, conveys the idea that SOMEONE somewhere has thought enough of you to buy you a coin. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity, which is why I believe that it could only have come from God Himself. I will be traveling to Uganda this summer with my wife and twin 16 yr old boys. I know the coins will be going with us."
"My mother in law, Jennie, was in the beginning stages of dementia. She had just gone through a series of personal tragedies: her sister's death, her son's stroke, and the abrupt sale of her home. While in an assisted living facility my husband and I gave her one of the Caring Coins. She always loved angels and this was a special token for her to carry with her. Despite the dementia where she forgot quite a few belongings, she never forgot her angel."
"Over the past several years, I have faced serious personal battles related to severe depression and alcoholism. I felt as if I was sinking into a deep pit of despair from which I couldn't seem to find a way out. I was given several coins and kept one under my pillow, one on my computer at work and ALWAYS one in my pocket. They served as a reminder to help me realize that I truly wasn't alone, that there was someone? something? above watching over me and offering me the hope that my life could get better. Since then my life has improved dramatically. With my coins as a reminder and the help of loved ones and support groups, I have climbed out of that seemingly bottomless pit and have gotten the help I so desperately needed. I haven't been near a drink in 6 months, I feel better about myself and the world around me than I ever have before, I've gotten a new and exciting job, and most importantly I realize that I'll never be alone again. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the caring coins and the message that goes along with them. I feel a sense of inner peace, happiness, and strength that I hope and pray stays with me for the rest of my life."
"I stopped into the post office the other day to give Pass One On Coins to the folks who work there. They are wonderful and always so helpful to me. They all reminded me that I had given them each one a few years ago. One keeps his in his pocket, one wears it around her neck and one keeps it on her key chain. They all assured me they wouldn't leave their house without their Caring Coins. They were very happy to accept the Pass One On Coins to share with others."
"One of my daughter's closest friends from school was a beautiful tall young woman with a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious laugh. At the age of 23 she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During her last months as she dealt with the anger that she would never fall in love; or have children, her greatest wish was to live to see her 25th birthday. I sent your coins and book down to both she and her mother. My daughter told me that she treasured that coin and her mother has written me how much it meant to her as well. Our friend did live to be 25 and died about a week later. Her mother still carries the coin."
"In 2002, out of the blue, I was diagnosed with the invariably fatal pleural cancer mesothelioma. In a frantic effort to ransom my life, I underwent aggressive surgery and experimental treatment. I was terrified most of the time - panic would rob me of sleep, and tears would gush forth at the least provocation.
In the midst of my nightmare, Salley sent me a Caring Coin. I read the inscription, "You are never alone" and grasped it like a life preserver. It went everywhere with me - to chemo, to radiation therapy, to diagnostic tests without end, and to follow-up visits in which physicians would posit my fate. For the past 5 years, I have never been without it. From constant clutching and worried rubbing, it has gained what the folks at Antiques Roadshow would call 'a warm patina'.
I have since gone on to counsel others suffering from this same cancer, and through Salley's kindness, have acquired coins to give to dozens of frightened people who are fighting for their lives, or watching a loved one loose that battle. The reaction has been unvarying: "It let me know I really wasn't alone." "It was like a hand reached out to reassure me someone cared."
The coins represent hope and comfort, ingredients of well-being that do not come from a pharmacy or require a prescription. Such a simple gesture, and it means so very much. Thank you Salley, from all of us perched on the edge of oblivion, whose beleaguered spirits desperately needed the balm of caring, and who found it in a simple wooden coin."
A care giver writes, "Just between you and me, I am so tired of this whole care giving thing. I just don't want to do it anymore. I have barely been able to get out of bed the last few days. Thank god for coffee and my Caring Coin! That's what's getting me through."
A young girl shares..."I received a Caring Coin shortly after my mother died. I then got one for my sister and my father. My sister wears the Caring Coin during the day and then places it around the neck of an angel bear at night. My father keeps his Caring Coin in his wallet. Whenever he feels sad he looks at the Caring Coin and remembers that we gave it to him and he seems to feel better. Our family went to Cape Cod last summer and as I was walking on the beach I found a Caring Coin in the sand. I really believe that this was a sign that my mother is watching over me. I gave the coin to a friend of her Mother's who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer."
"Recently, I came upon a young couple sitting at a table at Ben & Jerry's in Waterbury, VT. The man was holding a beautiful newborn baby. I couldn't help myself, aren't we all drawn to a baby? I asked the parents how old this precious child was. Eight days old, his name was Travis. ( I thought eight days old, at Ben & Jerry's). I reached into my pocket for an Caring Coin, as I always carry several, and gave it to his mother, and told her to feel the Angel and know that Travis would never be alone. With that, little Travis turned his head, looked at me and smiled the most beautiful smile. His father said in amazement, He's smiling at you, he's never smiled before. I got goose bumps."
"A lady on line at the bakery looked harried but offered me her place on line. I gave her an Angel coin to thank her. She felt the coin, read the message and her eyes filled with tears. She said she really needed this message at that moment."
"I gave Caring Coins with the Remembering Card to friend who had recently lost his son in an accident. Many people of all ages attended the "Celebration" of his son's life. Friends had come from around the world. He told me that they all loved the Caring Coins as a reminder of his son. He only wished he had had many more to share."
"Today I was feeling a bit down and also a bit chilled so I put on my jacket and put my hands in the pocket and there was your little wooden medallion that you had sent me! It instantly made me smile and feel better, like a little angel telling me- See! You are never alone!"
"My father was given an angel coin as he was struggling with dementia. He insisted that we put the coin around his wrist and would not allow anyone to remove it even when he bathed. He called his angel coin his "Vermont power." It truly gave him great comfort. He made us promise that his angel coin would always remain with him."
"Everyone I have ever given a coin to has been delighted to have them. I gave them to my twin nieces when they moved from Vermont to New Hampshire and they put ribbons on them and used them as Christmas tree decorations, which I think is really nice."
A boy who is autistic, was having a very difficult time at school facing many challenges at school both academically as well as socially. His mother gave him an Caring Coin which he keeps in his pocket. He told his mother that he feels better going to school just having his Caring Coin with him.
A young man, who has been struggling with alcohol dependency, had been doing very well but had a slip. He received a Caring Coin and a note of encouragement from a friend. He states that he is back on track and the Caring Coin is hanging in his truck.