Tammy Letherer 
My sister and her teenage son were visiting from Colorado. We were walking back from the coffee shop near my house when I looked down and there it was—a hundred-dollar bill, waiting patiently on the pavement for me to leisurely bend over and pick it up. The two of them hadn’t seen it and they were astonished and envious that I had.
The extra cash was just what I needed. It allowed me to take us all out to dinner and buy some birthday gifts for my nephew.
It reminded me of another time a Benjamin showed up to save the day. Many years ago, my then-husband and our friend were walking through Manitou Springs in Colorado on their way to climb Pike’s Peak. It was very early in the morning and the streets were deserted, except for a hundred-dollar bill somersaulting down the street like a tumbleweed.
They pocketed it and began the all-day hike toward the peak. As they approached the final stretch it began snowing and soon they were engulfed in a swirling, blinding white-out. Exhausted and cold, they managed to find the lone building on the summit—a food and souvenir shop usually open for tourists.
It was locked and empty.
As they stood freezing in the tiny vestibule, 14,000 feet above civilization, night falling fast, they knew they needed to get inside. They grabbed a heavy trash can and smashed the window of the front door.
The sound of breaking glass was followed by panicked screams from inside the building. As it turns out, several teenage employees remain on-site after hours rather than make the two-hour journey down the mountain.
The guys explained their situation but the frightened kids still called the police and made them stay just outside the door for two hours until help arrived. The officer said the owners would have to press charges unless the guys could pay for the window.
“Will this cover it?” they asked, whipping out the magic $100 bill. The money was turned over, the matter was settled, and they spent the next two hours unthawing in the back of a cop car as they made their way back.
True story.
Now here’s where, if you are familiar with my 5-Step Blog Blueprint, you’d expect me to drop in my “nugget” of truth—the message I want these stories to convey. But in this case, what can I add that is not already exquisitely conveyed by these random events?
I share them as proof that everyday miracles do happen, but to weigh them down with explanations (or even exclamations) is like plucking out a bird’s feathers so you can understand how it flies. The very definition of the word miracle is a surprising and welcome event that is inexplicable.
So when life is raining Benjamins, do what I do: don’t overthink it. And don’t get stuck in astonishment. Welcome serendipity like a familiar, steadfast friend. Ah, there you are again! Say thank you and move straight into asking for more. Stretch your belief by stretching out your arms to receive.
The wise Mr. Franklin said it himself: “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
