Newsletter by Date
Miraculous Births I Have Known Ps. 138: 13-18, 23-24
If I were to chronicle every miraculous birth I have ever seen or been a part of, it would mean listing EVERY BIRTH I have ever been privileged to know in any way. I believe each and every birth is a miracle. In fact, I believe that one of the most awesome privileges of my life is being invited to be a part of the birth of babies and families. That being said, humor me and let me tell you about the births that have most affected my life.
The first birth to affect my life occurred before any man existed except in the mind of God. This birth is creation!. I am forever in awe of the beautiful place God created for us. I know that He loves me by the shear beauty and variety of creation. And, if God did all this in six days, I cannot image what a truly extraordinary place is waiting for us when He reveals the New Heaven and the New Earth that will be our home for eternity!
The new awesome birth is the birth of HOPE in the Garden after the fall of man. What an awesome gift Hope really is! How could Adam and Even gone on without hope? How can any of us really live without hope? And, that hope included not only the promise of physical offspring, but the promise of a Savior who would redeem creation from the consequences of sin. Blessed Hope - to know that God loves us enough to die to bring us back into relationship with Him.
And, that brings me to one of the most awesome births of all - the birth of Jesus. I have trouble comprehending how God could package Himself into a small human baby so that we could have a Savior who shared so much with us. This one birth reached out to man and reminded him that God keeps His promises; even when it means death on a wooden cross 33 years later. I cannot even begin to imagine how awed Mary and Joseph must have felt looking at that small. perfect, precious baby and to know that they were responsible to helping to nurture and guide the very One who nurtures and guides each one of us. This one birth is the one that all of history and humanity hinge on. WOW!!!
The next most awesome birth was my own - not my physical birth, although that was awesome, but my spiritual birth as a teen seeing the need in my life for a Savior. Each of us has faced this choice in our life and made a decision one way or another. This birth leads to the opportunity to walk with and be used by God. It's comforting to me to know that He has a master plan for my life and that He will show the way if I but ask. It's also humbling to know that He allows me to be a part of His ministry to others and that He provided a place of service for me as unique as I am.
My childrens' births were each unique and life-changing in their own way. One of those births brought a baby too small to survive, but who lived long enough to make a difference to his young mother. He's never very far from my thoughts despite the fact that he stayed just a few short hours before returning to the Father. His brothers' births were as different from each other as the boys are different. Each birth brought me a step closer to God, my work with birthing women, and brought me a new perspective about myself.
The first birth I ever saw wasn't a planned event. A young couple with twins on the way had the misfortune of suffering a broken car in the vary spot where I and a friend happened to pass on horseback. I stayed to help so that my friend and her husband could go for help and was blessed to witness these two little ones arrive in the world with only their mom and me to see. I learned that birth happens, generally safely, and even without "trained" help. I can't say that the birth of those babies started me on my path into birthwork, but it did help me to see birth as a normal and safe experience.
Nathan was born to a mom who had spent a number of years lost to drugs. His birth taught his mom that she could depend on God to look after her and her little one and that He could give her the strength to fight the addictions in her life. It taught his grandmother that God really could change that wayward daughter. It taught me that righteous anger can sometimes propel us into paths we have run from and give the strength to face fears that keep us from being what and who God called us to be.
Jonathan, Blake, Baylor, Joshua, Risa. Miranda, Max, Alex...the list goes on. I have learned something with each birth. I have seen something new and wonderful at each birth. I hope that never changes. I pray that I, and you, never loose the wonderful thrill that comes watching a new life come into the world. I pray that we never loose the feeling of prayerful responsibility to give all we can as servants of the Most High God to the families that we touch. I pray that we never feel we know so much that we forget to pray for wisdom and guidance with each family and birth.
I pray that God will bless each family during this new year. I pray that His peace reaches through all the hustle and bustle and allows you time to reflect on your place in His plan and where He is bringing you. I pray that His overflowing abundance provides amply for your family's needs so that you may give to others. I pray that you come to know more of Him.
In him,
Kathy
Well, in the last issue, I promised you I would list some more of my favorite resources, so here goes, starting with a Titus 2 offering:
The New and Updated Vaccine Information Packet
Many of you have copied and distributed the Vaccine Refusal Form in the two years since I wrote it. Hundreds of individuals have dropped me notes telling me they copied it from the web site, which is why I uploaded it. Many others have asked if they could put a link up or refer their friends (or even some doctors want to refer patients) to the site. In that time, the people responsible for making and approving vaccines have not been just sitting around passively - they've been trying to add more and more vaccines to the list and enlarging the target population.
I'm working on a workshop for our local midwives group and decided to expand the refusal form to cover the two newest vaccines on the CDCs Recommended list for 2001 - Hep A and the Pneumococcal 7-Conjugate (Prevnar or PCV) vaccines. That expansion project has led to an expanded 40-page packet which may assist birth professionals and other interested individuals provide vaccine information to others. This packet may be freely copied and comes in a "camera-ready" print master so that you can distribute as many copies as you are willing to pass out.
The packet, "Immunizations: You Do Have a Choice!," and subtitled "How Parents Can Decide for Themselves About Immunizations for Their Children," includes the following:
I'm offering the packet to anyone who wants a copy and who will distribute copies of it. Cost is $10, postpaid, and includes a way for those who get it from you to respond back to me with questions or comments. I don't plan to upload it to the web site because some of these are reprints and I don't have permission to do that. I will however be updating the Vaccine Refusal Form in the next week or so and putting information on how to get the packet on that page.
If you want a copy, just contact me. I will be glad to take checks, money orders or you can pay with a credit card, debit card or other electronic transfer through PayPal (http://x.com).
The Breastfeeding Friendly Bag
Dr. Mercola's Web Site and Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Dr. Sears on the Web
Dr. Sears now has a web site. http://www.AskDr.Sears.com has lots of helpful information about a variety of topics that concern parents.
BabyTalk Magazine
Childbirth Graphics
Injoy Video
This certainly doesn't cover all of the resources out there for educators on a budget, but it may give you a good start.
Titus 2 Workshop Calendar
Labor Support Workshops for 2001
Feb. 23-24 in Boonville, MO Site: First Baptist Church in Boonville. Participants flying in may arrive via Kansas City, St. Louis, or take a commuter flight to Columbia. Sara Gerling is the contact and she can be reached at 1-573-556-1087 or 1-660-882-2934 or mailto:sdoulagerling79@hotmail.com Cost for this workshop is $200 and includes lunch both days. She is currently working on arrangements to have participants hosted with area families.
Mar. 22-23 in Fort Worth, TX. Registrants may contact me direct to register. There is a $25 discount for registrations
received prior to Mar. 1 and fees may be paid through PayPal. This workshop is a weekday workshop (Thurs & Fri) as opposed to a weekend offering! Cost is $150 and does not include lunch for either day.
April 30 is a prospective date for the shorter one-day labor support workshop for those who are already certified by another organization and want Christian certification. If you are interested, let me know. We will need at least 4 registrants to register for this workshop to make. This workshop will be in Fort Worth. Cost is $75 and registrations should be in by April 10.
Other dates may be added at a later date.
Childbirth Education Intensive, 2001 is scheduled for June 27-30 in Forth Worth. Registrants must have completed and turned in at least 5 module worksheets and all registration paperwork.
Order Your Titus 2 Materials by Email and Pay the Same Way
Educators can order T2 CBE workbooks by email and pay from them through PayPal. Just send an email with the quantity desired, mailing address, and when you need to receive them. Workbooks are $20 each.
You can also order The Christian Woman and Health Care books via email and pay the same way. Books are $15 each and include shipping and handling.
All workshop fees, CBE program payments, and membership dues can be made via PayPal. If you have questions, let me know and I'll be glad to help you get set-up.
AND FINALLY:
If you have a book review, point of interest, comments, or an article you think is in keeping with the Titus 2 focus, send it in.
If you got this newsletter and don't want to receive any more, let us know and we will remove you from the mailing list. If you want to forward it to someone else, feel free to do so. If you want to subscribe contact me at Titus2@flash.net.
If you want to schedule a workshop, contact me and we'll work out arrangements. If you need additional information about a workshop already scheduled, let me know and we'll get you the information you need.
A Sweet Smelling Savour
Eph. 5: 2 Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to Him.
One morning it hit me that I smell like a fruit salad coming out of the bathroom after a shower: coconut scented shampoo and conditioner, peach body wash, watermelon hand soap, pineapple body spray. As I chuckled about it, the fifth chapter of Ephesians came to mind. I had to stop and ponder whether my life and my words are as sweet smelling to God as my just-washed body is to me.
Ephesians 5 has a lot to say about the way we live our lives as unto the Lord. Some of those directives include: living a life filled with love for others, being Christ-like in our behavior, taking care in the words that we say, to find out what is pleasing to God and live it, to make the most of every opportunity to do good, not to act or speak thoughtlessly, to give thanks for God's blessing, and then those directives to husbands and wives on how to live out their married relationship to God. The key to most of these lies in verse 2: a life filled with love with Christ as our example. This makes the rest of those directives lots easier to do.
The place where I think most of us have the most trouble is taking care in the words we say and in most speaking thoughtlessly. I know it's an area where I can always do better! There are times things pop out of my mouth that I wish later would never have been said.
Sometimes, as Christians, we say things with good intentions that come out all wrong. Some one might be remarking how God certainly came thru with their prayer request when a baby was born with less than perfect circumstances. They may relate how thankful they were that God responded quickly before they had a chance to really respond. "God was really on the throne for me then," sounds very honest and praiseworthy. However, if another has related how they were in a similar situation and the baby is permanently damaged, is it meant to infer that God wasn't on the throne for that other person or that God didn't hear her prayer? Of course not!! But someone might hear it that way and be hurt or offended.
Many of us are aware that there is a birth movement that is pretty direct in putting this idea forward. If mom or baby has a problem, rather than use midwifery skills to respond to the problem, the attendants respond by praying that whatever sin or problem the parents have with God will be revealed so the problem will right itself. This infers, whether directly or indirectly, that there must be a sin problem or lack of faith on the part of the parents that needs to dealt with if anything goes wrong at the birth.
Most of us would not agree with that philosophy. In fact, most of us would say that to sit back and do nothing more than pray when you have the knowledge and skills to correct the problem is negligent and morally wrong! To let a baby die because of a nuchal cord that could have been reduced, or to refuse to help a baby feed well who is struggling and hence allow the baby to die would be seen as the worst in "malpractice" behavior. To let a mom hemorrhage because we didn't encourage her to empty her bladder or use whatever means we had at our disposal would again be seen as criminally negligent. To refuse to provide CPR or neonatal resusitation when necessary would be seen to defy the very basics in what we have been taught to do.
But sometimes our words infer that almost this same mentality. If brought to our attention, we would deny vehemently that our intent was to accuse the parents or attendants of a lack of faith or gross sin. Or worse, if a baby dies in miscarriage or birth that having another baby later will somehow make this child's death less painful or replace this baby. We mean well, but our words sting with a hurt that we never intended.
God says He will hold me accountable for my words. He tells me He will hold me accountable for the way I live before others. I don't always do a good job of "being Jesus with skin on" to the world around me. Sometimes I do and say things that hurt others. God help me to be a better example of Him so that I can point others to Him in a way that does He honor.
Kathy
Announcement: A New Titus 2 Birthing Program!!!
We have been asked several times to consider offering a monitrice program. After prayer, consideration, meeting with board members, and consult from an attorney, we have determined to move in this direction. At this stage, we are still working out the "bugs", but I think we have a workable plan. The program will be more expensive, but it will require quite a bit more paperwork and supervision, and some significant more responsibility to take care of legal liability.
The Titus 2 Birthing Labor Support training will suffice for training for both the CCD and the new CCM program. I have been addressing the use of clinical skills for several years now, and guidelines will be specific enough to explain the legal and moral requirements and concerns. There will be some new forms to include: Informed Consent, required Certification of Skill Level, Practice Guidelines, and a Titus 2 Release of Liability Form.
Understand that we will not be providing training in clinical skills! Your training must be acquired elsewhere and must be verified by a qualified/certified instructor who can sign off on your verification forms. Each and every Skills form will be verified! (This covers our legal liability.) You cannot use clinical skills in this program without skill verification. If you do so, your certification will be pulled! Certification in this program does not guarantee that all skills are legal in your state - you must know what those guidelines are and respond accordingly.
Packets for the new program will be available soon. Inquiries are welcome. Guidelines for the new program will be up on the web site as soon as I can get them done. Cost of the program will be an additional $75 over and above the cost of the labor support training for the certification year and $30 per year to maintain certification above and beyond the annual Titus 2 dues of $24.
I hope this new program offers a good option for those caregivers providing labor support with the use of clinical skills. I also hope it offers a good option for consumers looking for certified professionals with clinical skills who may not be certified midwives or nurses. This could be a good option for midwifery students working towards certification but not there yet, midwives working in nonlegal states, and those who have let certification lapse for whatever reason.
Paddling Against the Flow Under The Power of Your Convictions
My phone and email in box bring dozens of contacts each month from those who want information on immunizations. I try to answer the questions I'm asked without infringing on the other person's right to make their own decision. A friend told me recently that she was sure I must think poorly of her for deciding to immunize her children after doing some research. I assured her that wasn't the case.
I believe strongly that parents and clients alike must determine their own convictions. No one should decide for another what risks are acceptable and what are not; what benefits must be present to outweigh any given risk, or how willing they are to stand against the norm. This is true regarding birth options, parenting options, and many other life choices.
Whether you decide to birth at home, practice midwifery in a state where midwifery is not legal, refuse vaccinations, homeschool, eat only natural foods, teach an informed choice childbirth education class, evangelize on the street, work in a jail or homeless shelter, or any of a myriad of "unconventional" activities, you may be paddling against the flow. If you aren't firm in your convictions, you may go under. If you are, you may have to withstand more than a few buffets along the way because your choices don't follow the majority. It can be a hard thing when, having done all to stand, stand therefore. (Eph 6:13)
Each of us needs to champion the cause of choice in matters that don't directly contradict scripture. We must encourage the familes we work with to make informed choices. We must also applaud and respect their right to do so. That doesn't mean we have to agree with their decision, but we should agree with their right to decide. It may mean that we pass them along to another who can serve their needs better, but we should do so in a way that acknowledges their right to choose different options than we can effectively support.
I respect my friend's choice to immunize. She informed herself and made a choice. I respect the right of the woman who elects to give birth surgically for no medical reason even if I don't agree with her decision or that she has chosen a method with fewer risks. The list goes on.
I can't condone choices that directly contradict scripture - abortion, sexual immorality, unethical treatment of clients, dishonesty, or abuse. I think we can take a stand against these issues without being hurtful, condescending, or self-righteous and sanctimonious. Jesus rarely condemned individuals when confronting sin. He loved the sinner enough to speak the truth and to speak the truth in love.
We need to take back the term "Pro-Choice!" We need to acknowledge the right of parents to choose how they raise their children so long as those children are not abused. We need to refuse to define abuse as non-majority behaviors like: extended breastfeeding, not providing lots of "things" for your child, monitoring your child's activities and friends, homeschooling, alternative medicine, vaccine exemptions, judicious and controlled use of discipline, home birth, and selective permission for medically necessary procedures why refusing the medically unnecessary.
Let's be pro-choice service providers willing to instruct and educate without usurping their right to choose.
When your mom is a Midwife, your life is really interesting. You are always being told stuff you didn't want to hear, at least from a male teenager's point of view. My mother, at least, is always telling me stuff. Usually it's about birth.
My mom is a student midwife, but she always tells me the things she learns.
Being the son of a midwife also has advantages. Dealing with pregnant ladies and babies so much helps build a person's character, not to mention patience.
Face it, babies aren't the easiest people to deal with. You can't ask them what they want and expect them to tell you because they can't speak. Don't get me wrong, I love them and dealing with them also builds fatherly skills; one's that will be useful in the future when I get married.
Having a mom for a midwife has given me abilities I will need in the future, not just having the skills of knowing what to do, but when I don't know, I have an experienced person to go to who might.
If you ask me, when your Mom is a Midwife, you are blessed by God. You learn lessons no school can ever teach and you get all the facts instead of part of them. Even though I don't want to hear the things she is telling me (because it's gross), I might need it one day and I'll know who call and what to do.
Midwives have the best job ever thought of, even though it is difficult sometimes. They get to witness the miracle of life. The Bible says that children are a blessing from God (even when they are teenager's and don't listen) and Midwives experience this blessing all the time. Giving birth isn't always fun, but the best things in life always come at a price, but giving birth to a new life is one of life's greatest rewards.
Most people ask the question, "Why not a doctor? Isn't that the same thing? NO WAY! Yes, they both deliver babies, but doctors usually do things they shouldn't do.
One of the things they do I think they shouldn't is give vaccines to a healthy baby when, in fact, those vaccines can and do harm babies sometimes. If you ask a midwife about them, they will be glad to give you all the facts. My mom does it all the time.
Some doctors might give you facts on vaccinations, but it isn't usually all the facts. Some will give you all the facts, but most won't. Midwives go out of their way to get someone all the facts by doing plenty of research. I've seen my mom do it all the time.
The Difference in Feeling Responsible TO and FOR - Polly Perez
Titus 2 Workshop Calendar
Labor Support Workshops for 2001
April 30 is a prospective date for the shorter one-day labor support workshop for those who are already certified by another organization and want Christian certification. If you are interested, let me know. We will need at least 4 registrants to register for this workshop to make. This workshop will be in Fort Worth. Cost is $75 and registrations should be in by April 10.
June 27 - 30 in Fort Worth, TX. Registrants may contact me direct to register. Fees may be paid through PayPal. This workshop is being held in the evenings after the intensive from 6 until 9:30 each evening. The purpose is so that those who are coming to the Intensive can do both or so that those who are "local" and need to work during the day can train. Cost is $150. This training may be used for either the CCD or the CCM program.
Other dates may be added at a later date.
Childbirth Education Intensive, 2001 is scheduled for June 27-30 in Forth Worth. Registrants must have completed and turned in at least 5 module worksheets and all registration paperwork.
Order Your Titus 2 Materials by Email and Pay the Same Way
Educators can order T2 CBE workbooks by email and pay from them through PayPal. Just send an email with the quantity desired, mailing address, and when you need to receive them. Workbooks are $20 each.
You can also order The Christian Woman and Health Care books via email and pay the same way. Books are $15 each and include shipping and handling.
All workshop fees, CBE program payments, vaccination packets and membership dues can be made via PayPal. If you have questions, let me know and I'll be glad to help you get set-up.
AND FINALLY:
If you have a book review, point of interest, comments, or an article you think is in keeping with the Titus 2 focus, send it in.
If you got this newsletter and don't want to receive any more, let us know and we will remove you from the mailing list. If you want to forward it to someone else, feel free to do so. If you want to subscribe contact me at Titus2@flash.net.
If you want to schedule a workshop, contact me and we'll work out arrangements. If you need additional information about a workshop already scheduled, let me know and we'll get you the information you need.
Update on the Monitrice Program
Thanks to a number of our members who submitted input on the Monitrice Program. Packets should be ready to go out by June 6th for those desiring monitrice certification. Guidelines will be up on the web site by the end of the week so that you will be able to decide if this is the direction you want to go. There will be a cost for the packet.
To recap, we will not be providing training in clinical skills! Your training must be acquired elsewhere and must be verified by a qualified/certified instructor who can sign off on your verification forms. Each and every Skills form will be verified! (This covers our legal liability.) You cannot use clinical skills in this program without skill verification. If you do so, your certification will be pulled!
Certification in this program does not guarantee those skills are legal in your state - you must know what your state guidelines are and respond accordingly.
Cost of the program will be an additional $75 over and above the cost of the labor support training for the certification year and $30 per year to maintain certification above and beyond the annual Titus 2 dues of $24.
Titus 2 Workshop Calendar - Yes, we know we've lost our minds!!
Labor Support Workshops for 2001 - June 27 - 30 in Fort Worth, TX.
Registrants may contact me direct to register. There is a $25 discount for registrations received prior to June 1 and fees may be paid through PayPal. This workshop is being held in the evenings after the intensive from 6:30 until 9:30 each evening. The purpose is so that those who are coming to the Intensive can do both or so that those who are "local" and need to work during the day can train. Cost is $150. This training may be used for either the CCD or the CCM program.
Childbirth Education Intensive, 2001 is scheduled for June 27-30 in
Forth Worth. Registrants must have completed and turned in at least 5 module worksheets and all registration paperwork by June 20th.
LOCATION of Intensive and Labor Support Workshop for June: 3737 Farm Field Rd, Ft Worth. Intensive begins at 8:30 and ends at 5:30 each day with time out for lunch. Labor Support will begin at 6:30 pm and end at 9:30. Please be on time. There are a number of places close by to eat. Send an email for directions if you need them.
WHAT IS IN YOUR HAND?
When Endings Come
It's been an interesting month of endings for me. In the space of about 36 hours I attended a funeral for miscarried twins of a good friends & clients and for my grandmother. When we returned, we a pet died, an apprenticeship arrangement ended, one child move away and one graduate high school, and I completed the academics for my midwifery program. Our last major change was to add baby Emma to our home for a while. All of these endings brought different situations, some pleasant and some not.
Endings are sometimes hard to take. Some endings mean that our dreams and hopes for a better outcome are gone. It means saying "Goodbye," if not to a person, at least to a situation. It may mean that we have to deal with a prayer that God answered, "NO," when we really wanted a different answer. It may mean spending uncomfortable time trying to find the right words to say to grieving family members or dealing privately with our own grief when we feel that we need to be strong for others.
Additionally, there are grieving endings that are less defined. There are endings that come with a different outcome than the one we wanted. These endings include families who give birth to babies with difficulties, birth damage or birth defects. It may include families where the pregnancy brings about the end of a relationship between the two parents, an inmate mom who must surrender her baby to the care of another while she completes her assigned time, or a mom who places her baby for adoption. These situations are just as grief-laden as death in the immediate, but may extend much longer because the situation doesn't end. It may remain with us as we raise this special child or as a mother wonders what the child no longer in her care is doing and how it is growing.
These families need support as much as the family who lost a child in death. These families may have to deal with guilt over the outcome and wonder if different decisions could have brought better outcomes. While this guilt is normal, it isn't productive for the most part because all of the "what if's" won't change the situation. These parents may need all that we can offer to find a ray of hope and blessing in their difficult situation. They may need time to bond with their special needs child or find peace with the adoption process. They may need to find a new support system when the old support is lost. They can certainly benefit from our prayers.
Then there are endings that bring new beginnings. Completion of a long-term goal, a new life in the family, a closed door substituted for an open window - all of these may be positive endings, but may also bring a measure of grief and uncertainty. When a new life comes, the family dynamics change. Then graduation comes or a goal is reached, a new goal and a new situation must be started. It may mean moving out of our comfortable situation into a new and different one. It may require time in prayer to ensure that the direction we choose is the one God has for us. It may mean saying "Goodbye" to those who helped us reach the end.
Dealing with endings that bring grief can be challenging. This is one of the reasons that our Titus 2 programs include reading material on the grief process, miscarriage and stillbirth or infant death. There are some really good resources out there for parents. Childbirth Graphics has a packet you can request with grief resources and you may copy the packet to handout when needed. Caring Resources has many books, booklets, pamphlets and memorials for use with families. Many of their resources are not expensive.
Dealing with endings bring added stress, even when the endings are reasons to celebrate. Remember to give the families you work with who experience changes time to adapt. Encourage them to give themselves time to become familiar with new circumstances and challenges. Encourage them to take advantage of support systems that may deal with their particular ending.
One last note: Statistically the hardest time for families dealing with loss is at about three months. This is when most of their support system disappears into concerns of their own and the family is left to deal with things alone. Remember to send a card or letter to acknowledge their loss and to say that you care. You may be the encouragement and support they need most.
1000 Marbles-- Author Unknown
I know this has been around the email lists a while, but we can all use a reminder that our ministry and time with our family must fit into the right priority.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen 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 volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business himself.
He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down 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 my workshop next to the radio. 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 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 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 to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a 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 few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about.
I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. 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," I said. " It has 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."
May all Saturdays be special and may you have many happy years after you loose all your marbles!
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