RETW Loc: Washington

I’m not sure where this came from, but it sure should be read.

Red Marbles!...

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 appraising 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. Hmm mmm, 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 wh**ever..

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 wh**ever 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 of 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.
Share this with the people you'll never forget.
I just Did...
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU GATHER, BUT WHAT YOU SCATTER THAT TELLS WHAT KIND OF LIFE YOU HAVE LIVED

Happy New Year to all

RETW
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

Perfect!!!!!

Thank You for posting it...An excellent reminder of the beauty in the simplicity of life's finest...

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

RETW Loc: Washington

You know Linda, that story always brings a tear to my eyes every time I read it. For it shows me how simple God has made helping others. God has put before us all, a plan that allows us to live our life free and hurt no one. Helping when we can. There is nothing complicated about life.

Life only gets complicated when one acts, against his teachings.

Have a wonderful night.

RETW 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

eden

Thank you for a thoughtful and uplifting post.

RETW Loc: Washington

My pleasure eden.

Bless you.


RETW

8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

lindajoy Loc: right here with you....

I found it brought more than just a tear...More like questioning why society on a whole has lost its basic principals of simply living life to enjoy it..Or to reflect upon the meaning of love, itself.. Love of one another..... :thumbup:

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

Very true! I would rather be remembered with fondness when I'm gone, than an "I'm glad that SOB is dead".

I'm afraid too many of us do "acts of kindness" with one hand, while the other is held out for our payback, wh**ever that may be. Those aren't actually acts of kindness, they are business t***sactions, whereby we keep records of accounts payable and receivable.

A true act of kindness is done without regard for a return in kind and most often done in secret. To my mind, the secret acts of kindness , have the largest impact on others - and at night, when we review the day - bring the greatest peace of mind too.

RETW Loc: Washington

Amen to that.


RETW

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

Harpooner1

Great story!

I had, among the many situations in life, to make a decision whether to go by what usually happens when you do good...You get screwed! Or, to look at the whole situation and give it a go.
I had an automotive repair shop. I repaired mostly foreign cars. It was an upscale area and we were considered one of the finest shops. It was before Christmas of 1992, and my shop was next to a Lucky supermarket. So, this guy comes in and asks to borrow some tools and if I could just "take a look" at his car. He had a Chevy Chevette. So, I knew this was..well....a problem. The starter had failed. He didn't know what was wrong, but, he knew his car wouldn't start. A quick visual examination of the situation was that he had wrapped presents in the car, some flowers he had bought at the store.....He explained to me that he had driven from Los Banos and he was to meet his wife and kids, he was separated at the time, so, the wife and kids were living at the wife's parents house close by. Now, I summed things up. Why? because he gave me a "Life dump" of the whole dynamic. He was trying to get his family back together. One shot here. But, he has a problem. Without going into the relationship issues, I diagnosed and found the problem. Problem is, he could not fix it. And, he told me he had no money for the repair. He spent it all on the gifts and all he had was gas money. Now comes the point of "What would You Do?".......
He told me he would pay me back. Again, I looked at my own situation..I have a business to run. It was an hour and a half job. The brake master cylinder had to come out.....a bit of a b***h....and, he could not pay. " I swear, i will pay you back...Just help me.....Please."
I did. We exchanged information, and I said, "Don, I hope everything works out with the family...."......I was skeptical. But, you know what? He came back two weeks later....paid some in cash. I asked how things worked out. " Well, better than I expected......I'll pay off this bill with you, and I told my in laws they should bring their cars to you.."
Well, he paid off the bill, the inlaws brought their cars to me, and it worked. And, they got back together. I was just a person that bridged a gap. It doesn't always work this way, but, you have to try it.

I had another instance, when I was 19. It was definitely not the same.
But, the message may be similar. At that time, I was ski instructor at Squaw Valley. I had been in a ski racing school for the previous 4 years.
I was a ski racer, first and foremost, but, I had to make some cash, so I went to pro racing on the North Tahoe Circuit, and taught skiing at Squaw. So, you pretty much know the mountains, the snow, and risk.
It's a weekend and you have the crowds from the Bay Area...The masses. It happened that the schools were off for winter break, so, a bunch of teenagers....Heck, I was still one..A teenager. I was skiing a lift called "Cornice II". Now, a cornice, in snow terms, means a cliff formed by snow. Not stable at all. Steep and questionable, these give way to avalanches. They brak off and form fissures, or crevasses. A split in the snow. So, I'm skiing down a ridge above the cornice area and notice a group of kids, about 8 of them, looking over the cornice. One thing was unusual...In this crevasse that was formed was one of the kids. Yeah, he was stuck about 4 feet down. Wedged. So? What to do? Ski away? Oh, hell no. I looked at it a 50/50 situation. If I can find a way to get him out, no harm. If things go bad, we go together. So, I "McGuvered"....Bottom line is, I risked myself to save another. It was a normal reaction to me.
Stories? Yes.....That is life. Live and learn..Or, just live...You choose.

RETW Loc: Washington

Good man you are. I would be proud to call you friend.

RETW
8-) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Harpooner1

Call me friend, RETW.
It's not the first time we have agreed.
Oh, I am a good man, but, if you ask my gal, she will say.."Oh, he's good, but not great.."
Hahahah! Ask her if she would trade me.....She wouldn't.
As imparted, my upbringing during high school was unlike any other. I was a sports guy when I was born. Football, baseball, Soccer, Ice Hockey, Tennis, LaCrosse....Somehow I gravitated to skiing. It may be that I was better at this sport, but, t***h be told, my parents wanted me out of the house! Yeah, teenager. Better to send him up to the mountains. Little did they know that it just encouraged me to go out of bounds. Oh, I could tell some stories, which, have the benefit of being true. But, I was educated by correspondence. Now, I stack my intelligence against anyone, general intelligence. I didn't get my degree until lately. I am going for my MBA now.
But, along the way, I learned how to fly planes, helicopters, master mechanic and a Real estate licence. Oh, and raise two kids, daughters.
Good man? OK..Perfect person, no.....You don't need to a perfect man or woman to be "Good"....
I'll give you my email, wrssfoster@gmail.com

Write me when you can and share.