Something to remind us to enjoy our path...
A Thousand Marbles
"The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's
the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or
maybe it's the joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the
first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few
weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup
of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What
began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those
lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.
I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday
morning talk show. I heard an older gentlemen with a golden voice.
He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I
was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say. "Well,
Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they
pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and
your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to
work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you
missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell
you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good
perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to
explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." He went on to say, "You
see, I sat down one day
and did a little arithmetic.
The average person lives about 75 years. I know, some live more and
some live less, but on average, folks live about 75 years. Now
then, I multiplied 75 X 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the
number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. "It took me until I was 55 years old to think about all
this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived
through over 2800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to
be 75, I only had about 1,000 of
them left to enjoy.
"So I went to several toy stores and bought every single marble
they had until I had 1,000. I took them home and put them inside of
a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to
the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out
and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish,
I focused more on the really important things in life. "There is
nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help
get your priorities straight.
Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and
take my lovely wife out for breakfast..." "...This morning, I took
the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it
until next Saturday then Life has blessed me with a little extra
time to be with my loved ones. It was nice to talk to you, Tom; I
hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet
you again someday. Have a good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show's
moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he
gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work
that morning and then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and
woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the
kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special," I said. "It has just been a long time since
we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a
toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles." May all
your Saturdays be special and may you have many happy years after
you lose all your
marbles.
Copyright (c) 2004 Dean Hawk Ministries All rights reserved. Used
by
permission.
