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Happy aloha Friday! Today I want to say thank you. From time to time someone will tell me, “I sent that one to my brother (or my son, or my friend, or my dad, or …).” I really appreciate that, and thought you should know that I really encourage you to send these MBN Aloha Friday Cards everywhere you can. That’s why they are sent to you – for you to share them.
I also love to get the messages where people ask us to pray for them, or when folks tell me the prayers are having an effect. Those are the Praise Reports. In fact, I got one just recently from Justin’s mom. He’s been discharged from the hospital, is gaining weight, and feeling some better. He still has some pain where the cordoma is, and he’s still on pain meds, still getting radiation treatments. That is great progress, so Praise God for hearing our prayers. There are additional victories here and there. Some of them we hear about, others we don’t. The point is I am also thankful that you are part of the prayer circle called the Moon Beam Network. Every time you use the MBN prayer you touch literally hundreds of lives in a positive way because you lift them up to God.
I also want to thank you for sending me stories that can be shared with the MBN. I’m always on the lookout for good stories, or collections of sayings, or good clean humor; so if you’ve got those things, send them in and maybe they’ll get sent out again to the MBN.
This is one such story, and regrettably I don’t know its origins. I just know that at the end of the story I understood better this adage:
Always seek,
Expect to receive,
And accept
The Greater Gift.
The Red Marble
During the waning years of the depression in a small southeastern Idaho community, I used to stop by Brother Miller’s roadside stand for farm-fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used — extensively.
One particular day Brother Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. 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 Brother Miller and the ragged boy next to me.
“Hello Barry, how are you today?”
“Hello, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Just admiring them peas, sure look good.”
“They are good, Barry. How’s your Ma?”
“Fine. Getting’ stronger all of the time.”
“Good. Anything I can help you with?”
“No, Sir. Just admiring them peas.”
“Would you like to take some home?”
“No, Sir. Got nothing’ to pay for ’em with.”
“Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?”
“All I’ve got is my prize marble here.”
“Is that right? Let me see it.”
“Here ’tis. She’s a dandy.”
“I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?”
“Not exactly …..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.”
“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 whatever. 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, perhaps.”
I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Utah but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys and their bartering.
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 I learned that Brother Miller had died.
They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon our arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever 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…very professional looking.
They approached Mrs. Miller, standing smiling and composed, 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 mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. Eyes glistening she took my hand and led me to the casket. “Those three young men, that 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, magnificently shiny, red marbles.
For everything there is an appropriate time, and a season for every activity under Heaven.
No need to rush through charity. You can do more that drop a buck in the Salvation Army bucket, drop off a sack of canned-goods at the food-bank, or donate to United Way. All of those make a good beginning. The kind of charity that takes a long time to deliver produces the best rewards – eternal rewards, and eternity starts here, before you ever get “there.” Lay your life down every day? Sure, why not? He did. It’s a LOVE thing.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service.
Keep praying for the people – ALL the people. (Yep, even the ones you least expect will care if you pray for them).
Age Quod Agis, Beloved
Incidentally, if you are reading this, you probably know that I love you, too. Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!
PS: If it’s been a while since you sent a note, now would be an excellent time…. 🙂
