Something I found in my email today
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 unbounded 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, 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.Let me tell you about it.I turned
the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk
show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice.You know the
kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business
himself.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.""You see, I sat down
one day and did a little arithmetic.
The average person lives about seventy-five years.I know,some live more
and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five
years."
Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the
number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part.""It
took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any
detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over
twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.
I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a
thousand of them left to enjoy.""So I went to a toy store and bought
every single marble they had.I ended up having to visit three toy stores
to roundup 1000 marbles.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 God 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,
then go to the gym.
Instead,I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss."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."
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND MAY ALL SATURDAYS BE SPECIAL AND MAY YOU HAVE
MANY HAPPY YEARS AFTER YOU LOSE ALL YOUR MARBLES.
May God bless you in all you do ........
quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's
the unbounded 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, 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.Let me tell you about it.I turned
the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk
show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice.You know the
kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business
himself.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.""You see, I sat down
one day and did a little arithmetic.
The average person lives about seventy-five years.I know,some live more
and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five
years."
Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the
number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire
lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part.""It
took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any
detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over
twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.
I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a
thousand of them left to enjoy.""So I went to a toy store and bought
every single marble they had.I ended up having to visit three toy stores
to roundup 1000 marbles.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 God 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,
then go to the gym.
Instead,I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss."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."
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND MAY ALL SATURDAYS BE SPECIAL AND MAY YOU HAVE
MANY HAPPY YEARS AFTER YOU LOSE ALL YOUR MARBLES.
May God bless you in all you do ........
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