Old Man and a Bucket of Shrimp

This is a wonderful story and it is true. You will be glad that you read it, and I hope you will pass it on.


It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean.


Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself. The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now.  Everybody's gone, except for a few joggers on the beach. Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed is alone with his thoughts... and his bucket of shrimp.


Before long, however, he is no longer alone. Up in the sky a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking, winging their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of the pier.


Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him, their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stands there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say with a smile, 'Thank you. Thank you.'


In a few short minutes the bucket is empty. But Ed doesn't leave. He stands there lost in thought, as though transported to another time and place
When he finally turns around and begins to walk back toward the beach, a few of the birds hop along the pier with him until he gets to the stairs, and then they, too, fly away. And old Ed quietly makes his way down to the end of the beach and on home.



If you were sitting there on the pier with your fishing line in the water, Ed might seem like  'a funny old duck,' as my dad used to say. Or, to onlookers, he's just another old codger, lost in his own weird world, feeding the seagulls with a bucket full of shrimp.


To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or very empty. They can seem altogether unimportant ....maybe even a lot of nonsense.


Old folks often do strange things, at least in the eyes of Boomers and Busters.


Most of them would probably write Old Ed off, down there in Florida ... That's too bad. They'd do well to know him better.


His full name:  Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero in World War I, and then he was  in WWII. On one of his flying missions across the Pacific, he and his seven-member crew went down. Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane, and climbed into a life raft.


Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger and thirst. By the eighth day their rations ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were or even if they were alive.  Every day across America millions wondered and prayed that Eddie Rickenbacker might somehow be found alive.


The men adrift needed a miracle. That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle.


They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged on. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft... suddenly Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull!


Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal of it - a very slight meal for eight men. Then they used the intestines for bait. With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait... and the cycle continued. With that simple survival  technique, they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued after 24 days at sea.


Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that first life-saving seagull... And he never stopped saying, 'Thank you.' That's why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude.


Reference: (Max Lucado, "In The Eye of the Storm", pp...221, 225-226)


PS: Eddie Rickenbacker was the founder of Eastern Airlines. Before WWI he was race car driver. In WWI he was a pilot and became America's first ace. In WWII he was an instructor and military adviser, and he flew missions with the combat pilots. Eddie Rickenbacker is a true American hero. And now you know another story about the trials and sacrifices that brave men have endured for your freedom.


As you can see, I chose to pass it on. It is a great story that many don't know...You've got to be careful with old guys, you just never know what they have done during their lifetime.

My sister sent this by email: I had to share!

Officer James Givens has served with the Cincinnati Police Department for over 26 years, but has never quite experienced anything like this before.

He was sitting in his patrol car in a parking lot when he got an unexpected visitor.

A goose came up to his car and started pecking on the side of it.

He threw food out for her, thinking that's what she wanted, but she didn't take it.
 

She continued to peck and quack, then walked away, stopped, and looked back at Officer Givens.

Then she came back to his car and pecked at it again.

She made it very obvious that she wanted Officer Givens to follow her, so he finally got out of his car and did just that.

The goose led him 100 yard away to a grassy area near a creek.

Sitting there was one of her babies, tangled up in a balloon string.

The baby was kicking its feet, desperate for help.

Being wary of helping the baby on his own, and worried that the goose might attack him, Givens called for help from the SPCA, but no wildlife rescuers were available at the moment.

Luckily, Given's colleague, Officer Cecilia Charron, came to help. She began to untangle the baby, and the mother goose just stood there and watched, quacking.

She didn't become aggressive, and just let Officer Charron do what she had to do to set the baby free.
It was like the mother goose knew they were helping.

Once Charron untangled the baby, she put it down and it ran right to her mom, and they went right to swimming in the creek.

Charron teared up and said it was the highlight of her 24 years on the force.

"It seems like something made up. It was just incredible," Givens said.

"I honestly don't know why I decided to follow her, but I did. It makes me wonder – do they know to turn to humans when they need help?"

We may never know the answer to this question, but what we do know is that Officer Givens was in the right place at the right time to help these geese!

Life is precious.

A great story with a good ending.

The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts,
the safest place to be is in someone's prayers,
and the very best place to be is ........
in the hands of God.

=

A Response to the Call

     When I was a girl, I remember days of playing in the fields, walking through the woods gathering wild flowers, reading a good book, or another of a multitude of things that seemed so important in my young life.  But when I heard my mother or father call, I was swift to respond.  They never called me unless they really needed me.  Often it was for something wonderful, like one of Mom’s home cooked meals, or exciting mail addressed to me, or a chore that I needed to do.  Yes, even the chore was wonderful, although I would have denied it at the time.  The things I learned by responding to their calls to do chores were  life lessons...wonderful lessons that serve me well now that I am an adult.  I would never have even dreamed of ignoring their call...or of saying no to the chore.

     And so it is today...when the Lord calls, we would be wise to swiftly respond.  And he does call us.  Sometimes it is through the Bishop’s voice with a “chore” that needs to be done.  Sometimes it is through the voice of our Relief Society President, or a member in need.  No matter whose voice it is that the Lord uses to call us, it is because we are really needed.  Don’t ignore the call...do not say no.  “Let every man (woman) be diligent in all things.  And the idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his way.”  D&C 75: 29

     When you hear the call, respond...respond with swiftness and willingness to do the chore.  You will receive wonderful things if you do.

Thomas S. Monson said:

“In actual fact it is the service that counts—the Lord’s service. This is the service that counts, the service to which all of us have been called: the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

"Sampling" is "Stealing"!

Today I was shopping at our local Sam's club and picked up a bag of Brownie Brittles.  I'm not much of a shopper, and usually take a list and stick to it.  But a couple years ago, I tried Brownie Brittle and LOVED them!  When I saw the display of them at Sam's I was done shopping and hurrying to the check-out, so grabbed a bag on the go.

When I got to the check-out and put the bag on the conveyer belt, I noticed that my bag had been opened, then zipped back shut.  These are the economy size bags and are made to reseal so you can eat a few, and keep the remainder fresh.

"Oh!  I didn't see that this bag had been opened.  I don't want this bag," I said to the associate.  She set that bag aside and started my check-out process while I ran back and got a good bag. 

I couldn't believe that someone would actually open a bag to sample or eat some of the product, then seal the bag up and put it back!!!  People!!  What are you thinking?!?  This is stealing, plain and simple!

I have shopped and observed people in produce sections sampling the produce.  Popping a couple of berries or grapes in your mouth and eating them is stealing unless the market put out a sample for tasting purposes.  Even if you buy the fruit, you can't eat any of it until you check out because it is sold by weight.  To do so IS STEALING!

I can't believe I have to point out that sampling is stealing.  In what world can adults not know this?  It is shameful!!!

Oh How Gauche!

 

 

Recently on Facebook, my son started a conversation about what you would like to have your farts sound if you had a choice.  Some of the answers were very, very humorous!  But I have friends who think that discussing “farts” (or in more correct terminology, flatus) is very gauche!  If you are offended about these conversations, I apologize for the offense.  It’s just that in our family, we talk about, laugh about, and even sometimes ponder the act/smell/sounds of farts.

For instance, have you ever wondered why expelling flatus makes a noise?  Think about this. Even baby farts make a noise. Now, remember when you were a kid and wanted to learn to whistle. Contrary to popular belief, there is more to whistling then just puckering your lips and blowing. Not that easy. But farts? Oh no...farts make a noise...you don't have to try. You don't have to learn "how". It just happens.  Makes one wonder why we were created that way. My theory is that sometimes there is a not so nice smell that accompanies that noise, so we were created that way to issue an audible warning that if you hear that sound, you may want to relocate your body...and fast.

My son pointed out that not only do they make a noise, but different noises too. “Some grumbly as though your butt is grumpy. Sometimes like a whine, as though your but is sad... “ He went on to say that he feels the magic of farts is that it's a surprise every time!

Now…If you feel disgusted with this conversation, let me tell you another truth about flatus.  I was a nurse in younger years.  And there is no one who is more interested in flatus than a nurse.  If a patient farts, it is a good sign that things in that part of their bodies are working.  We (nurses) like flatus.  Flatus to a nurse is a very good thing because it is a sign that bowels are working, and a hospitalized patient always runs a risk of constipation…another gauche topic to some.

Let me just finish by saying, into every life a little flatus must come.  It is a natural part of how we are made.  It is a part of the plan of life.  We may not like it.  We may not like to talk about it. But it is a natural part of living.  And as a person who believes it is best to “embrace” life in all its aspects, I imagine I will continue to talk about and laugh about farts…even if it is considered “gauch”!

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction

Is global warming fake?

Take a survey.  You will find people who will tell you that global warming is very real and very concerning.  You will find people who will scoff and say there is no such thing as global warming.  I personally can’t confirm nor deny it.

What I can do is tell you that I was born and raised in Minnesota.  And I can tell you that winters there do not seem as bad as when I was a kid.  I can remember snow drifting up on the back of the house, covering the downstairs windows, and coming up to the base of the upstairs windows.  A person could open the upstairs window and step right out onto the snow.  Winters don’t seem to be that bad anymore back home.

For sure, the weather is different then when I was a kid.  We seem to have more flooding, more tornados, worse hurricanes, and more blizzards.  Is this due to global warming?  I don’t know.

But one thing is for sure.  It isn’t going to hurt a thing to live like global warming is a fact.  Cutting back on pollution and following cleaner manufacturing methods are good things, whether global warming is a fact or fallacy.  Living “green” is a good choice.