I have recently fallen in love with Marbles.  I never gave any thought to them until a couple of weeks ago.  Since then I have studied how they are made, learned the different types, studied the history of them, and I can't get enough.  I find them absolutely fascinating.  I have a box of 54 sitting on my desk. Here is some of what I have learned:

Most marbles are made out of glass, either machine or hand made.

Some marbles are worth up to $15,000.

They have found marbles at Pompeii, in Egyptian tombs, and history suggests that they were even popular with early American Indians.

All of those facts are pretty cool, but they are not the reason I have begun to have marble fever.  The reason that I have marbles on the brain is because of a new book/DVD combo by Reggie Joiner.  The book is called Playing for Keeps.  In his book, he talks about using marbles as a measurement of time.  The idea that if we can see how much time we have left, we make the most of that time.  He points out that in basketball, football, etc. the game gets more intense and the focus is greater at the end of the game.

On my shelf sits a jar.  There are 527 marbles in that jar.  Those marbles represent how many weeks I have left before my oldest son graduates high school.  Each week I take a marble out of that jar.  Every time I take a marble out of the jar it reminds me that time is winding down.  I need to be more intense, more focused, because although we are only in the second quarter with him, half-time is approaching fast.

That is why I have a new-found love for marbles.  To me, they mean time.  Every time I see one I am reminded that time is always ticking away, and I need to be my best and give my best to my children in the time I have left.

Trevor