2 posts tagged “life”
I do not know from where this story originates. If it is yours and you hold the copyright, please contact me. I would love to have permission to post it. Until then: enjoy!
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Red Marbles
Years ago I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.
Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.
"Hello Barry, how are you today?"
"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good."
"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"
"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."
"Good. Anything I can help you with?"
"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."
"Would you like to take some home?" asked Mr. Miller.
"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."
"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"
"All I got's my prize marble here."
"Is that right? Let me see it" said Miller.
"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."
"I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" the store owner asked.
"Not zackley but almost."
"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble", Mr. Miller told the boy.
"Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller."
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one,
when they come on their next trip to the store."
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.
A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one.
Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died.
They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words
of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts... all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and
smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped
briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand
and led me to the casket.
"Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size, they came to
pay their debt."
"We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho."
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband.
Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
The Moral: We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.
Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.
Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~
- A fresh pot off coffee you didn't make yourself.
- An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
- Green stoplights on your way to work.
- The fastest line at the grocery store.
- A good sing-along song on the radio.
- Your keys found right where you left them.
Send this to the people you'll never forget. I just did...
If you don't send it to anyone, it means you are in way too much of a hurry
to even notice the ordinary miracles when they occur.
It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived!
If you read this and are touched...here is your commission:
Be blessed & be a blessing this evening.
I recently heard a message from the Pastor of the church that my son & daughter in law attend. His quote of the day goes something like this...
It's not the worst thing to have tried and failed. The worst thing is not to have tried at all.
As I reflect on the end of the year and where I am in employment and in life in general, I have come to a couple of conclusions.
- A few years ago I tried to become police dispatcher and succeeded to some degree, but I left after not completing all of my certifications. Why? Because I was just too slow at performing the tasks required to be really good at the job. Did I try my hardest? Oh, yes I did. Did I fail? Yes again. Do I feel bad about that? Sometimes, yet I do believe that God is in control and led me away from that job to another and then finally to where I am.
- I look at the lives of my sons Derek & Colin and see that, even though they grew up in a house that had their brother Christopher hogging most of the emotional and physical attention of their parents, they both turned out to be good men. I think that their natural inclinations towards being gentle with others who are in distress is a great thing. Both are highly creative and tend to march to the beat of a drummer previously unknown to the masses. Have I failed them in some ways? Sure. Have I tried to give them the tools to be Godly men? Yes. Did I fail in that? No, they will serve our Lord for the rest of their lives because they maybe saw something in me that drives me to want to serve God all of my days. Are they loving, caring guys? You bet.
- I'm now in a job that probably best suits my capabilities. I have to be a self starter, the deadlines are not harsh, but are timely. I like the people that I work with, in coming back to a company that I worked with for a decade, it sometimes feels like a comfortable pair of shoes to be back here. In quite a different capacity, with more responsibility, yet with the freedom to do things the way that I would like them and the opportunity to treat people the way I would have like to have been treated by one of the "bosses".
- This last year my relationship with Terry took a surprisingly pleasant turn. There was substantial growth in understanding my needs and her needs. We took a class on relationships and found some very interesting and wonderful things about each other. I have come to appreciate her so much more and I attempt (and fail mostly) to find things that will please her and just do them without any fanfare. The more I can become proficient in the execution of these tasks, the more I will truly be a servant husband as the Lord wishes me to be.
- My health. In this past month or so, I have had a very serious upturn in my blood pressure, headaches that I thought would never go away, trips to the hospital and doctors & blood sucking labs. I pray that God will use these trials that I am going through with my health to improve me as His man. I pray for my healing; that it would be swift and perhaps I would even find out the cause of some of these problems.
In all things will I give thanks to my Father in heaven, that He would bring me to be the man that He wishes me to be and that I will do the things that pleases Him. I wish to hear His voice and sing His praises with clarity, love & joy.
