There was a summer where my mom took up part time employment. She made a deal with me: I'd make five dollars a day if I had the younger kids clean their rooms while I straightened up the other rooms and fed them lunch. After that we'd go to the city pool for a couple hours.

It was a great opportunity. I made a hundred dollars a month and didn't have to beg to go to the pool every day. I also, for the first time, developed a work routine. I found that I could do major cleaning (mopping, bathroom scrubbing, laundry) on alternative days and, by so doing, it made the 'tween day fix-ups much easier.

A major part of the routine was making lunch while listening to Paul Harvey's news and comments. Later, I discovered his "rest of the story" program. In this broadcast he'd tease you with a story told in a way that no one else could duplicate. In the end, you'd find out who he was talking about... and it would almost always be a surprise.

Paul Harvey passed away yesterday at the grand age of 90. He lived across town. Though I never met him, his influence in my life is significant. I can still see the surroundings of the kitchen and feel the pleasure that was mine as he joined me on my daily schedule.

Also, I have read each of his books... they're great, uplifting entertainment... each chapter is brief enough that you can feel enriched in a few moments or... more likely... feel unable to stop yourself until you've finished the book with haste.

Thank you Paul Harvey for bringing us the rest of the story for so very long.

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Microphone Illustration by Peter Suneson