"Penny" From Heaven

I heard this evening that the woman who taught me how to swim when I was a small child was killed on Saturday. The thing is that Penny was amazing. I can remember her beautiful face smiling at me when I was terrified to get into the water. I remember her hair, her eyes, her voice, her hands. Why is it that we remember some things in life so clearly and others fade away as quickly as they occur? Mom was going to WIU and sitting outside the pool to study. At one point, I was flailing around and basically fighting the idea of getting into the water and I swung my arm and hit her in the face. Mom remembers being horrified and Penny calmly told her that it was okay and that it happens. She remained calm. I don't think she was ever angry with either me or my brother during any of the swimming lessons or swimming adventures we had at the Aledo Public Pool. I cried when Mom told me because the last thing that I heard in my head when Mom said that she had died was an echo, almost like a movie flashback....
Penny's soft and encouraging voice says: "I've got you Turtle...don't worry, I won't let you go...." Mom was sitting on a bench on the other side of the chain-link fence and had a thick college text book on her lap. I think my swimming suit was white with swirls of colors all over it but mainly purple and red swirls. It was a one-piece swimming suit and I hated it. I was too long waisted for it. I was facing northeast and Penny was holding me tight with her arms under my armpits and her hands around my back. She was facing me. I think her swimming suit was black. Her hair was really long and beautiful. She was looking at me deep into my eyes with a promise and a confidence in me that I didn't know was even there yet. How could she see something that I didn't know I had? I don't think Dan and I would have ever been such good swimmers without Penny. Dan is amazing. He is fearless and always has been. You should have seen him on the diving board. We can thank Penny.
When Grant was traumatized by his swimming teacher because he said "please don't let me go, please don't let me go....!" and she said, "Oh, I won't!" then proceeded to take him to the middle of the pool and push him away and let go (in the only way I can rationalize it) to attempt to show him he could do it on his own....I about lunged into the water and smacked that teacher. Yep, I said that. Thank you swimming teacher for breaking my sons trust and therefore making him terrified of water thereafter. (NOT!) I can't tell you how may times I thought of Penny when we were struggling with Grant. He refused to get into the water so many times. One time he flat out ran from the pool, through the locker room straight to the car in only his swimming trunks with me trying to keep up!
We go about our lives after all the people who have molded us move on without knowing how much they affected our lives. I can't tell you how many times I think to myself, thank God I learned how to swim the right way and from such a great teacher. I remembered Penny all these years and to hear of her death was devastating. Yet, somehow the movie like echo of her voice that will forever play in my head will always be my Penny from heaven: "I've got you Turtle....don't worry....I won't let you go!"
Some people come into our lives for only a moment and change it forever.
Thank You Beautiful Penny.
October 4, 2010--A former Aledo woman has died following a head-on

collision in Warren County. 50 year old Penny McKinney-Green of Moline

was killed Saturday morning (October 2nd). Her sister, 55 year old

Mary Ann McKinney of Aledo was a passenger in the pick-up truck and

was injured. She was taken to Cottage Hospital in Galesburg. An

Illinois State Police news release indicates that the sisters were

traveling east bound on Illinois Route 116 near Roseville when a west

bound vehicle crossed the center line and collided with their truck.

The other driver, a 21 year old Macomb man was ticketed for driving

too fast for conditions. He told troopers he lost control due due to

wet pavement. All five occupants of the other car received only minor

injuries.