Last summer all we Hashlocke cousins,

At Grandma and Grandpa’s place,

Had fun together at cousin camp

Where we all made up a race.

–

We split into three different teams

And whoever won the games

Won the right to take back home

The Hashlocke Cup and fame.

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We had such fun together

With running, rides and drives,

Laughing, shouting, food and more,

Rollerblades, a pond, and dives.

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But every day we all sat down

(‘Cept one of us wasn’t there)

Thirteen pairs of grandkids’ eyes

And thirteen pairs of ears.

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Grandpa pulled a penny out;

He held it high to see.

Then he dropped it in the cup—

In the Hashlocke Cup trophy.

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We looked at him with some confusion

But he wasn’t finished yet.

Of course he would explain to us

Just what all of this meant.

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“In every day you have a choice,”’

Our grandparents said to us all,

“You can choose to be kind, choose to do right,

Make a difference no matter how small.

–

Encourage a sibling, a neighbor, or friend,

Give a smile instead of a frown.

Offer a gracious word to them

When you see that someone is down.

–

You might jump up and help someone out

Or even learn something new;

Maybe you choose the honest path,

And say only what is true.

–

These acts are like a penny which you

Have earned in these small ways,

As if you’ve earned a penny for life—

A penny from the day.

–

So, if you choose to do each day

What gains you just one penny,

Your pennies will surely multiply

And soon you will have many.”

–

A penny, just a penny, yes

That’s what you helped us learn—

That it’s the little things that count

Towards the character we earn.

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Just a thought for someone else,

One choice to try our best,

We’ll get to drop a penny

Into our treasure chest.

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Grandma and Grandpa, you’ve shown us yourselves

A habit that’s true and wise:

That we can gain our daily penny

From an act of any size.

–

We see how you have daily loved,

How you two have walked this way,

And over time—now 50 years!

Added a penny every day.

–

By blessing someone else each day,

Every day of 50 years,

You earned at least thirty-six thousand five hundred and twenty-four pennies—

You’ve made your practice clear!

–

You’ve taught us other lessons too:

Freedom funnels and planting seeds;

We’ve seen these in every part of your lives— 

In both your words and deeds. 

–

And so to thank you for your love,

To show how glad we are

For your wisdom and examples,

We give you pennies from your jars.

–

Now, thirty-six thousand pennies

Weighs over 200 pounds,

So instead we have 360 dollars

And 524 coins we’ve found.

–

This poem is our way to celebrate

All you’ve done and all you are—

So thank you for your love to us

And each penny in your jar.