Archive through October 15, 2002
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Archive through October 15, 2002
Lancecrossfire | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 12:29 am     Something I've had for awhile--it was passed on to me from a friend. 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, I was shuffling toward the basement shack 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 dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about “a thousand marbles.” I was intrigued and stopped 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 round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the sack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.” “I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focus 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 that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.” It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 75 year Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!” You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. 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, it’s 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.... |
Romans8_1 | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 02:32 am     Thanks for posting this. |
Sia | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 05:10 am     Lance, that made me cry. I think I'll print the story you posted and leave it on my husband's pillow.  |
Ducky | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 06:44 am     Great Idea Sia I'm doing that to. Lance Thanks for bring a smile to my face this morning. |
Wargod | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 08:54 am     Thank you, Lance. Darn you, bringing tears to my eyes before 9am! I'm going to follow Sia and Ducky and print this out for my hubby also. |
Kstme | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 11:33 am     Lance...that was VERY touching! Thank you! |
Magikearth | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 03:42 pm     Lance,I'm joining in with this lovely bunch of people in thanking you for posting such a positive,heartwarming story! You're very thoughtful to post such an inspiring message.Keep it up! |
Twinkie | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 04:14 pm     Thank you Lance. I'm also printing that out for hubby. Right now we really, really need all reminders to enjoy each other and don't let the other stuff get us down. Thanks so much. |
Whit4you | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 05:00 pm     Lance, sweet post. Worried though because I've lost all my marbles... now what? |
Suitsmefine | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 06:42 pm     Lance, God bless you! That was a heart warming, life changing story. Two years into our marriage my husband and I found out we were being blessed with a bundle of joy...8 months later our world was turned upside down, when our daughter was born I became extremely sick, 5 WEEKS LATER, because of misdiagnosis by my doctor, I ended up in the emergency room and eventually being diagnosed with post partum cardiomyopathy......I recovered and was to not have anymore children, when my heart had healed enough to do so, I was to have a tubal ligation.....On the day I went in to have my blood work and pre-admission stuff done WHAM....I WAS PREGNANT,( despite all those new fangled birth control inventions!!) Against DRs orders I carried that baby 2 weeks from his due date. The cardiomyopathy did recur and with a vengence... My family and I thank God for Both of our little blessings, and for allowing me to survive thus far...eventually, I will have to have a heart transplant as my heart continues to weaken at a slow rate...but we do not take one single day for granted....I hope alot of people read your post and think about how sweet and precious each and every day is without having to face the reality of our immortality head on...... Any way...I just wanted you to know I really was touched by this story and will carry it in my day planner to share with everyone I come into contact with....TY Lance!!!!! |
Sia | Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 11:39 pm     Suitsme, we never know what other people face in their lives until someone shares that information with us. ((((((Suitsmefine)))))) Prayers for you and your family that you continue to be as healthy and strong as possible. Love and hugs!  |
Suitsmefine | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 11:01 am     Sia, thank you for your prayers and hugs.....can't get too much of either of those.I know there are those who face far greater burdens and illnesses and I try to always think of that on those days when I feel really bad and get down ...Anyway thanks to you and everyone else on these boards, you have made alot of time go by with alot of laughter and fun!!!! I would have made something as pretty as you made for me, but I have not mastered all that stuff yet!LOL |
Lancecrossfire | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 11:06 am     Suitsme, thanks for sharing your situation with us. I hope the very best for your health, and the health of your entire family. It's great that you can remember to not take a single day for granted. I bet your family has and will have a very rich life because of that. |
Suitsmefine | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 04:01 pm     Thank you Lance...right now these are under control, but that could change tomorrow, so we just take it one day at a time.We take advantage of every chance we get to spend time doing things together...sometimes, I do them when I shouldn't but I refuse to live my life scared , I want my children to have great memories of their childhood and everything we do together, not of how sick Mom is and harboring bitterness for things we cannot change. Anyway I just wanted you to know that your post truly touched me and I will share it. |
Lancecrossfire | Friday, October 04, 2002 - 11:47 pm     I have had this one for awhile as well. So many times people get judged by their outward appearances. Not the best of plans, because anyone doing so misses out on some great people. Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out patients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my eight-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face-lopsided from swelling, red and raw. Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning." He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success, no one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face... I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments..." For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning." I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. "No thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him a few minutes. It didn't take long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury. He didn't tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other sentence was prefaced with a thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going. At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair." He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind." I told him he was welcome to come again. And on his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us. In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery: fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning. "Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! "You can lose roomers by putting up such people!" Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God. |
Suitsmefine | Monday, October 07, 2002 - 07:42 pm     Lancecrossfire, I shared your post with a dear sweet neighbor, and she teared up and wanted me to let you know that she was truly touched by this story....she is 84 years young and said that it really brings the message home of how everyday is a gift for us to do what we will, hopefully something we won't regret...... |
Lancecrossfire | Monday, October 07, 2002 - 10:32 pm     Suitsme, glad to hear someone was able to get some enjoyment from this. We all have something to give and are of value--it's just a matter of someone taking the time to look below the surface--where it really counts. |
Lancecrossfire | Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 10:07 am     This short quiz will make you think. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners. How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the Headliners of yesterday. These are no second-raters. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies; Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten; Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. So, here’s another quiz; See how you do on this one. 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. Easier? The lesson; the people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. |
Cjr | Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 11:13 am     Point well taken Lance! This is so true. |
Lancecrossfire | Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 12:46 pm     1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her. 2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. 3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop," The devil's name is Depression. 4. Enjoy the simple things. When the children are young, that is all that you can afford. When they are in college, that is all that you can afford. When you are on retirement, that is all that you can afford. 5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter. 6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be alive while you are alive, don't put out a mailbox on the highway of death and just wait in residence for your mail. 7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge. 8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. 9. Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country, but not to guilt country. 10. Tell the people you love, that you love them, at every opportunity. And always remember . . . Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. |
Lancecrossfire | Saturday, October 12, 2002 - 02:29 pm     "Our achievements are shaped by the terrain of our lives and the strength of the foundations we set. In building the life we've imagined, we must be true to our beliefs, dare to be ethical, and strive to be honorable. For integrity is the highest ground to which we can aspire." |
Lancecrossfire | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 12:29 pm     The Red Marble During the waning years of the depression in a small southeastern Idaho community, I used to stop by Mr. Miller's roadside stand for farm-fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used, extensively. One particular day Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. 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 and the ragged boy next to me. "Hello Barry, how are you today?" "H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas ... 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?" "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." "Here 'tis. She's a dandy." "I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?" "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." "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, perhaps." I left the stand, 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. 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 viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon our 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 ... very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing smiling and composed, 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 mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. 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. |
Zachsmom | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 12:47 pm     Okay Lance..what a way to make me cry at work!!!What a beautiful story!!! |
Wargod | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 02:09 pm     Zmom...I've learned when I see Lance posting here to grab the box of kleenex, lol. Thanks Lance...that was awesome. |
Suitsmefine | Tuesday, October 15, 2002 - 02:20 pm     Lance, you never cease to touch my heart with these stories! And I too need a kleenex, pass that box over here, Zmom and War!! |
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