The Old Pickle Jar

The pickle jar, as far back as I can remember, sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. It was a nightly ritual for many, many years in our home.

As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled.

I sometimes squatted on the floor in front of the jar to admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun shone through the bedroom window.

When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table to methodically roll the coins before taking them to the bank. They were then placed carefully into a small cardboard box.

Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production. The box of rolled coins was placed between Dad and I on the seat of his old truck for the trip to town.

Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. "Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son. You´re going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back."

Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly. "These are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life like me."

We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm.

"When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again." he said. He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other. Another start to a full pickle jar of coins.

"You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters," my dad said, "But you'll get there; I'll see to that."

No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when he got laid off from the job at the mill and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar.

To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me pouring catsup over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me.

"When you finish college, son," he told me, his eyes glistening, "You'll never have to eat beans again - unless you want to."

The years passed. I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom. Sadly, I noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and now had been removed.

A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words; he never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all those virtues far more effectively than the most eloquent of words could have. How fondly I remembered that old jar and its place in my life.

When I married, I told my wife Susan of the significant part that old pickle jar had played in my life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me.

The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. "She probably needs to be changed." she said carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was a noticeable mist in her eyes.

She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the back bedroom. "Look!" she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser.

To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a small handful of coins. With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up to see Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak.

We had no need for that. The pickle jar was back in its old spot now with a renewed purpose. I could see the joy in my Dad´s eyes as he gently held his granddaughter in his arms. The old pickle jar was new again.

(This old story has been passed around. The original author is unknown as far as I can determine. I have edited it slightly from the original for grammatical purposes only; the story itself remains basically unchanged. It is such a good story I wanted to continue to circulate it especially in these times when the economy is hurting so many. Hope you approve and enjoy it as much as I have.)