A forwarded e-mail.........from last year.

Guess what I found in my junk box, a forwarded e-mail and I find it to be quite meaningful....erm, though it's outdated.

The 1000 Marbles.

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings.Perhaps with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy ofnot having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturdaymorning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchenwith 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 thoselessons 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 listento a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap witha golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in thebroadcasting business himself.

He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someonenamed "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had tosay. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with yourjob. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away fromhome and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow shouldhave to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad youmissed 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." Andthat's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a littlearithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, somelive more and some live less, but on average, folks live aboutseventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in theirentire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."

"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to thinkabout all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had livedthrough over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking thatif I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them leftto enjoy."

"So I went to a toy store and bought every singlemarble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plasticcontainer right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday sincethen, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away." "I found that bywatching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really importantthings in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth runout to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-offwith you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I tookthe very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until nextSaturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with myloved ones......

"It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend moretime with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Havea 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 fewmoments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do somework that morning, and then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs andwoke my wife up with a kiss. "C'monhoney, I'm taking you and the kids tobreakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile."Oh,nothing special," I said. "It has just been a long time since we spent aSaturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store whilewe're out? I need to buy some marbles."

(sigh) I will be turning 18 this year, but nothing has yet to be done to spice up my life. Guys, appreciate every moment you have.

*peace*