THE MARBLE JAR

Have you heard of the marble jar? This story is about a man worried that time is running out. 

It was Jim’s Medicare birthday. He was 65 years old. He knew the stats: The average person lives 75 years.

He did the math. 52 x 75 = 3900 weeks. He figured out his current age in weeks. 52 x 65 = 3380 weeks. If he were average, he would have 520 more weeks of his precious life.

Jim didn’t worry about his eventual demise; he worried about how he could live with appreciation for every week he had left.

He went to the hobby store and bought bags of marbles and a large clear glass jar.

When he got home, he filled the jar with the 520 marbles. When he was done, he went downstairs to find his wife in the kitchen.

“Let’s go, dear. We’re going to take a nice drive to the shore and walk along the beach.”

She was surprised. It was out of character for Jim to do anything spur of the moment, but after all, it was his birthday.

As they walked in the sand on a bright summer day, the gulls were soaring, the waves were gently unfolding, and they heard the sounds of life all around them.

“What’s up, Jim?” His wife asked. “You seem different.”

And he took his beloved by both hands and said, “I’m determined to live the rest of my weeks in appreciation, with thanks to God for the breath in my lungs.”

And then he explained the marble jar.

Ten years later, when he took the last marble out of the jar, he knew he had done it.

He no longer lived life by hurrying and rushing through his days. Instead, he lived peacefully with time, with his loved ones, and within himself.

Jim no longer counts the weeks. He makes every day count. He treasures the minutes and the moments, each one a gift from God.

Time is limited, but joy is not. The marble jar was more than just a practice; it was a fresh start and a new beginning.

Susan Diamond
Read More stories like this