Saturdays. How much do we enjoy Saturdays (or whatever day we take off from work). A day we long to kick back, relax, do what we want to do with no interruptions. We might get up before the family, fix ourselves some breakfast, coffee and then sit back and read the paper. Or maybe spend the day at the golf course. But does this day include the family, those close to us that possibly we have ignored during the week or just too tired to spend time with and hear about their needs?

I recently read a story about an older man that called into a Saturday morning talk show. He was talking about “a thousand marbles” to the show’s host by the name of Tom.  The host had been explaining to his audience how busy his weeks were and that he never had time for his family.  The caller said, “Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re really busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well at the station 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.”

He continued, “Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a perspective on my own priorities.” And that’s when the caller began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles.

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little math. The average person lives about 75 years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on the average, people live about 75 years. Then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3,900 which represents the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their lifetime.”

He explained further by saying, “Stick with me Tom, I’m getting to the important part. It took me until I was 55 years old to think about all this in any detail and by that time I had lived through over 2,800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be 75, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to the toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up visiting three toy stores until I was able to purchase 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right in my workshop. 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 hang up 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 with you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your loved ones. Have a good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even Tom didn’t have anything to say for a few minutes. The caller had given everyone who was listening a lot to think about.

Do we get so wrapped up in our work or our personal pleasures that we ignore our very own family? Is the golf course more important to us than taking our wife to breakfast on Saturday or playing with our children or grandchildren?

Do you need to run out to the toy store and pick up some marbles?

Author unknown – This story comes from my archived files.