By Whitney Barnes
Staff Writer

Most of us are familiar with the famous wedding rhyme, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” but did you know there is a forgotten fifth line? It goes, “And a sixpence in your shoe.” This line isn’t as well known as the others, but it holds its own significance.

According to Brides.com, the rhythm dates back to 1800 Victorian England and symbolizes hope, continuity and a fresh beginning. The earliest written reference to this tradition can be found in an 1871 issue of St. James Magazine.

A sixpence is a British coin worth six pennies, minted from 1551 to 1967. According to fpmaine.com, a silver sixpence is believed to represent luck and prosperity in a marriage. Traditionally, the bride’s father would gift the bride a silver sixpence on her wedding day as a symbolic gesture. It was customary for the father to secretly slip the silver sixpence into the bride’s heel before she walked down the aisle.

In modern times, many couples have replaced the traditional sixpence with a penny. Kayla Whyte and Lucas Oborny, from Marshall, are one such couple. The pair will marry at a ceremony in Cancun, Mexico, this Sunday, July 21, and as part of the tradition, Whyte will wear a penny in her shoe. However, the one she plans to wear is no ordinary penny.

The story of this penny began 31 years ago in a delivery room in Fitzgibbon Hospital, on January 18, 1993, the day Whyte was born. Taped to the card bearing Whyte’s footprint, Michelle Whyte, Kayla’s mother, found the penny and a touching message that read, “Maybe one day, you’ll wear this penny in your shoe on your special day.”

The thoughtful gesture came from Phyllis Moore, a now retired nurse who worked at the hospital for 39 years. Moore’s decision to gift the penny was based on a heartwarming and profound sentiment. She said her motivation stemmed from her desire to make every patient feel special and to demonstrate genuine care and compassion in her interactions with them.

“I loved my job. I wanted to do something extra special for each patient,” she said. “I always wanted them to think that I was there because I cared about them. Not just about a job. I guess that’s just the only reason (I did it). Why I thought of it, I don’t know.”

Moore explained that the gesture was meant to symbolize good luck and express the hope for a long and happy marriage.

Whyte was not the only baby to be given one of Moore’s pennies. Moore said she made every effort to give each baby she cared for a penny from their birth year, creating a unique tradition that would hold meaning for the babies as they grew older.

Regrettably, Moore said that she didn’t count the number of pennies she handed out during her time at the hospital, but noted there were quite a few. She would also include a similar card for baby boys, saying, “Someday, if you find that special lady, maybe she would wear this in her shoe.”

“I wish I had kept track,” she said. “I’ve had a few people come up to me in the store and say, ‘You may not remember me, but you gave my baby a penny.’ But this is the first time I have had anybody let me know that they’re going to wear that penny in their shoe.”

Whyte recently contacted Moore to share the exciting news about her upcoming wedding and her plan to wear the coin in her shoe.

Interestingly, the penny will not be the only special touch Moore will contribute to Whyte’s wedding day. Moore mentioned that when she found out about Whyte’s wedding, she offered to create a ring pillow for her.

“I make ring pillows with the brides’ and grooms’ names and the wedding date,” she explained. “And she said yes. When she came yesterday to pick up that ring pillow, I told her, you will just never know how special (this) makes my whole profession. I just feel blessed. And I don’t mean it to sound egotistical. It isn’t that I did something great. It’s that I was able to do something that was long-lasting for them. And I think that’s the most important part of nursing anyway.”

Whyte’s mother not only saved the penny, but also had the couple’s initials inscribed on it. Moore expressed her hope that the penny would bring Whyte and her husband the same good luck it brought her and her late husband.

“When we got married in 1977, I wore a ‘77 penny in my shoe,” Moore shared in closing. “We were married for 46 years … I was one of the luckiest women in the world. … Six months ago, I lost my husband. We had many happy years together …. I was one blessed human. I’m glad that Kayla and Kayla’s mom want to do something; I think it will be a special thing for their memories, too.”