Most people see pennies as worthless—but for Otha Anders, a retired teacher
from Louisiana, they were daily reminders to be grateful. Since the late 1960s,
Otha collected every penny he found, using each one as a cue to pause
and offer a silent prayer of thanks. Unlike traditional collectors,
Otha wasn’t after value or rarity. His collection was about mindfulness—
finding joy in small blessings. Over decades, he filled 15 five-gallon jugs with
pennies, calling them his “pennies for prayers.”When his homeowner’s insurance couldn’t cover the unusual collection,