This is 5 Minute Friday!

Build Riches

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on a joining farms fell into a conflict.

It was the first serious riff in 40 years of farming signed by side, sharing machinery

and trading labor and goods as needed without any conflict.

Then the long collaboration fell apart.

It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into major differences and finally it

exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning there was a knock on the older brother John's door.

He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox.

Who said, I'm looking for a few days work.

Perhaps you'd have a few small jobs here and there and could I help you with them.

Yes, the older brother said, I do have a job for you actually.

Look across the creek at that farm.

That's my neighbor.

In fact, it's my younger brother.

Last week there was a meadow between us and he took his bulldozer to the river levee

and now there is a creek between us.

Well, he may have done this to spite me but I'll go him one better.

See that pile of lumber curing by the barn?

I want you to build me a fence, an eight foot fence so I won't need to see his place

anymore.

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