MY FRIDAY STOY

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground.

"That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

"He's a fine looking boy" the man said. "That's my daughter on the bike in the white dress."

Then, looking at his watch, he called to his daughter. "What do you say we go, Melissa?"

Melissa pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes."

The man nodded and Melissa continued to ride her bike to her heart's content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his daughter. "Time to go now?"

Again Melissa pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes."

The man smiled and said, "OK."

"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, "Her older brother Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Melissa.

She thinks she has five more minutes to ride her bike. The truth is, I get Five more minutes to watch her play."

Life is all about making priorities, what are your priorities?
Give someone you love 5 more minutes of your time today!

The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.

Augustine of Hippo

MY FRIDAY STORY

After the chores, their mother always prepared a hot breakfast for them. The children would eat and walk to school. After school, they would hurry home to do their afternoon chores so they would have time to play before getting ready for dinner. One morning, his mother came and said, "Good morning, my children. Today is going to be a good day." Sambo did not get out of bed. His mother repeated, "Get up, Sambo. Today is going to be a good day." Sambo replied, "Momma today is not going to be a good day. Today is a bad day, and I want to stay in bed." His mother said, "Okay Sambo, you stay in bed since today is a bad day." Sambo had a smile on his face as he went back to sleep. His brothers and sisters snickered at Sambo as they went to do their chores. Sambo fell back to sleep.

An hour later, he woke up to the sound of his brothers and sisters laughing at breakfast. His stomach growled. He was very hungry. Sambo walked down the stairs into the kitchen. He sat down at the table with his brothers and sisters. When he put two BIG pancakes on a plate, his mother stopped him and said, "What are you doing Sambo?" "Momma, I'm so hungry," Sambo replied. Momma said, "Oh no. Sambo today is a bad day. You go up to your room, and go back to bed." Sambo looked sad, "but I'm hungry Momma."  "Remember today is a bad day Sambo. Now go back to bed." Sambo walked slowly back up to his room with his stomach still hungry. He was very sad. You see, in his room there were no toys, TV or computers. Nothing but his bed and a stuffed bear.

All day long Sambo sat in his room alone and hungry, until finally he heard his brothers and sisters come home from school. They ran upstairs to change their clothes for chores before they went to play. Sambo went down with the other children to do his chores when his mother saw him. She said, "where are you going Sambo?" "Out to do my chores, Momma." "Oh no, Sambo. Today is a bad day. Now go back up to your room." Sambo started to cry on the way up the stairs. He thought to him self, "I am so hungry and bored. I hope Momma lets me eat later." When dinnertime came, Sambo walked slowly down the steps to see if he could get something to eat. He was met at the bottom of the steps by his mother. She said, "Oh no, Sambo. Today is a bad day. You need to go back up to bed."

Sambo woke up the next morning to the sound of his mother. "Good morning, my children. Today is going to be a good day."

Sambo jumped out of bed and cheerfully said to his mother: "Yes, Momma. Today is going to be a good day!"

This story was told by a great man, my father, Fred L. Fabrizio.? He used this story to illustrate one of his core beliefs.? Every day is a good day, as long as you choose to make it a good day.

On October 21, 2005 my father woke up at 5am and went for his morning run.? He had breakfast with my stepmother Kathy.? They went outside and did what they loved to do work on the yard and the house.? You see they had to leave the house that day to drive to Columbus, Ohio for a continuing education class for his physical therapy licenses.? They never made it to the seminar.? They were both killed instantly in a car accident.

I remember that day as if it were yesterday.? My wife and I were in Las Vegas celebrating our wedding anniversary when we received the call.? I can still see the look on her face when she handed me the phone so my brother Mike could tell me the news.? My life will be forever changed.? Since that time I self published The Story of Sambo, one my father used to tell daily.

Everyday is a good day as long as you choose it to be. My father lived every day like it was his last. He woke up every morning and had a good day, no matter what.

Now go out and have yourself a good day!

The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Anonymous

To hell with circumstances;  I create opportunities.

Bruce Lee

MY FRIDAY STORY

The Grandma Who Could

By Neil Eskelin

At the age of eighty, a farmer's wife in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Cambridge</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Virginia</st1:State></st1:place>, suffered from painful arthritis. The mother of ten children and many grandchildren -- and great-grandchildren -- loved to do needlework, but her fingers could no longer manipulate the large needle to embroider.

The elderly woman looked for something else that would keep her occupied and found she could hold a small paintbrush much easier than a needle. So she tried her hand painting. She thought her farm and country scenes were good enough to show at the Cambridge Fair, but only won prizes for her jams and canned fruit. There were no blue ribbons for her art.

Then one day an art collector from <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:City> was traveling through the village and noticed several of her paintings for sale in a local drug store. When he showed them to his friends in the art circles of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Manhattan</st1:place></st1:City>, they were more than curious.

Soon, 'Grandma Moses' gained an international reputation. Her widely-collected works of art were featured on calendars, greeting cards and in exhibitions in leading galleries including the Modern Museum of Art in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State>.

Even more amazing, twenty-five percent of her 1,500 popular paintings were done after she was 100!