172. Don’t Widen the Plate

Don’t Widen the Plate

In Nashville, Tennessee, during the first week of January, 1996, more than 4,000 baseball coaches descended upon the Opryland Hotel for the 52nd annual ABCA convention.

While I waited in line to register with the hotel staff, I heard other more veteran coaches rumbling about the lineup of speakers scheduled to present during the weekend. One name, in particular, kept resurfacing, always with the same sentiment — “John Scolinos is here? Oh man, worth every penny of my airfare.” Who the hell is John Scolinos, I wondered. No matter, I was just happy to be there.

In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung — a full-sized, stark-white home plate. Seriously, I wondered, who in the hell is this guy? After speaking for twenty-five minutes, not once mentioning the prop hanging around his neck, Coach Scolinos appeared to notice the snickering among some of the coaches. Even those who knew Coach Scolinos had to wonder exactly where he was going with this, or if he had simply forgotten about home plate since he’d gotten on stage.

Then, finally …

“You’re probably all wondering why I’m wearing home plate around my neck. Or maybe you think I escaped from Camarillo State Hospital,” he said, his voice growing irascible. I laughed along with the others, acknowledging the possibility. “No,” he continued, “I may be old, but I’m not crazy. The reason I stand before you today is to share with you baseball people what I’ve learned in my life, what I’ve learned about home plate in my 78 years.” Several hands went up when Scolinos asked how many Little League coaches were in the room. “Do you know how wide home plate is in Little League?” After a pause, someone offered, “Seventeen inches,” more question than answer. “That’s right,” he said. “How about in Babe Ruth? Any Babe Ruth coaches in the house?” Another long pause. “Seventeen inches?”came a guess from another reluctant coach.

“That’s right,” said Scolinos. “Now, how many high school coaches do we have in the room?” Hundreds of hands shot up, as the pattern began to appear. “How wide is home plate in high school baseball?” “Seventeen inches,” they said, sounding more confident. “You’re right!” Scolinos barked. “And you college coaches, how wide is home plate in college?” “Seventeen inches!” we said, in unison. “Any Minor League coaches here? How wide is home plate in pro ball?” “Seventeen inches!” “RIGHT! And in the Major Leagues, how wide home plate is in the Major Leagues?” “Seventeen inches!” “SEV-EN-TEEN INCHES!” he confirmed, his voice bellowing off the walls. “And what do they do with a a Big League pitcher who can’t throw the ball over seventeen inches?” Pause. “They send him to Pocatello!” he hollered, drawing raucous laughter. “What they don’t do is this: they don’t say, ‘Ah, that’s okay, Jimmy. You can’t hit a seventeen-inch target? We’ll make it eighteen inches, or nineteen inches. We’ll make it twenty inches so you have a better chance of hitting it. If you can’t hit that, let us know so we can make it wider still, say twenty-five inches.'” Pause. “Coaches …” Pause. ” … what do we do when our best player shows up late to practice? When our team rules forbid facial hair and a guy shows up unshaven? What if he gets caught drinking? Do we hold him accountable? Or do we change the rules to fit him, do we widen home plate? The chuckles gradually faded as four thousand coaches grew quiet, the fog lifting as the old coach’s message began to unfold. He turned the plate toward himself and, using a Sharpie, began to draw something. When he turned it toward the crowd, point up, a house was revealed, complete with a freshly drawn door and two windows. “This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids. With our discipline. We don’t teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We widen the plate!” Pause. Then, to the point at the top of the house he added a small American flag. “This is the problem in our schools today. The quality of our education is going downhill fast and teachers have been stripped of the tools they need to be successful, and to educate and discipline our young people. We are allowing others to widen home plate! Where is that getting us?” Silence. He replaced the flag with a Cross. “And this is the problem in the Church, where powerful people in positions of authority have taken advantage of young children, only to have such an atrocity swept under the rug for years. Our church leaders are widening home plate!”

I was amazed. At a baseball convention where I expected to learn something about curveballs and bunting and how to run better practices, I had learned something far more valuable. From an old man with home plate strung around his neck, I had learned something about life, about myself, about my own weaknesses and about my responsibilities as a leader. I had to hold myself and others accountable to that which I knew to be right, lest our families, our faith, and our society continue down an undesirable path. “If I am lucky,” Coach Scolinos concluded, “you will remember one thing from this old coach today. It is this: if we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard, a standard of what we know to be right; if we fail to hold our spouses and our children to the same standards, if we are unwilling or unable to provide a consequence when they do not meet the standard; and if our schools and churches and our government fail to hold themselves accountable to those they serve, there is but one thing to look forward to …” With that, he held home plate in front of his chest, turned it around, and revealed its dark black backside.  “… dark days ahead.” Coach Scolinos died in 2009 at the age of 91, but not before touching the lives of hundreds of players and coaches, including mine. Meeting him at my first ABCA convention kept me returning year after year, looking for similar wisdom and inspiration from other coaches. He is the best clinic speaker the ABCA has ever known because he was so much more than a baseball coach. His message was clear: “Coaches, keep your players — no matter how good they are — your own children, and most of all, keep yourself at seventeen inches.

 

170. The Little Owl

“The Gnomist: A Great Big Beautiful Act Of Kindness” is a short film that shows us how one person can help make the world a better place for so many others. Set in a forest park in Overland Park, Kansas, The Gnomist sets out to do something for only them and ends up doing something good for many people. You’ll probably need a Kleenex or two by the time your done watching this heartwarming video.

http://biggeekdad.com/2016/04/the-little-owl/

169. The Special Tablecloth with a Cross

This has been around before, but it is still worth reading and passing on this heart-warming story.  God bless.

T he brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned
to their first ministry to reopen a church
in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October
excited about their opportunities. When they saw
their church it was very run down and needed
much work. They set a goal to have everything
done in time to have their first service
on Christmas Eve.

T hey worked hard repairing pews, plastering walls,
painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.

O n December 19 a terrible tempest, a driving
rainstorm, hit the area and lasted for two days.

O n the 21st, the pastor went over to the church.
His heart sank when he saw that the roof had
leaked, causing a large area of plaster about
20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall
of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit,
beginning about head high.

T he pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor,
and not knowing what else to do but postpone
the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was
having a flea market type sale for charity, so he
stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful,
handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth
with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross
embroidered right in the center. It was just
the right size to cover the hole in the front
wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

B y this time it had started to snow. An older
woman running from the opposite direction was
trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor
invited her to wait in the warm church for
the next bus 45 minutes later.

She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor
while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put
up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor
could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and
it covered up the entire problem area.

T hen he noticed the woman walking down the center
aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor,"
she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"
The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check
the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into
it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had
made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria .

T he woman could hardly believe it as the pastor
told how he had just gotten "The Tablecloth". The
woman explained that before the war she and
her husband were well-to-do people in Austria .

When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.
Her husband was going to follow her the next week.
He was captured, sent to prison, and she never saw her
husband or her home again.

T he pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church.
The pastor insisted on driving her home. That
was the least he could do. She lived on the other
side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn
for the day for a housecleaning job.

W hat a wonderful service they had on Christmas
Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the
spirit were great. At the end of the service, the
pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door
and many said that they would return.

One older man, whom the pastor recognized
from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the
pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he
wasn't leaving.

T he man asked him where he got the tablecloth on
the front wall because it was identical to one
that his wife had made years ago when
they lived in Austria before the war and how
could there be two tablecloths so much alike?

H e told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he
forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was
supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and
put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home
again all the 35 years between.

T he pastor asked him if he would allow him to
take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten
Island and to the same house where the pastor
had taken the woman three days earlier.

H e helped the man climb the three flights of
stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on
the door and he saw the greatest Christmas
reunion he could ever imagine.

T rue Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid
who says God does work in mysterious ways.
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for
you today, to guide you and protect you as you go
along your way. His love is always with you. His
promises are true, and when we give Him all our
cares we know He will see us through.

S o when the road you're traveling seems
difficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on
to those you want God to bless and remember
to send it back to the one who asked God to bless
you first.

W hen there is nothing left but God, that is when
you find out that God is all you need Take 60
seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply
say the following small prayer for the person
who sent this to you.

Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what
ever it is that You know they may be needing this
day! May their lives be full of Your peace,
prosperity and power as they seek to have a
closer relationship with You. Amen.

T hen send it on to five other people, including the
one who sent it to you. Within hours five people have
prayed for you and you caused a multitude of people
to pray for other people. Then, sit back and watch the
power of God work in your life.


P. S. Five is good, but more is better.

166. For all of America to read!

For all of America to read! 

You and I are Members, Don't Delete,

Just Read and Pass it on.

The typical U.S. Household headed by a person age 65 or older has a net   worth 47 times greater than a household headed by someone under 35,   according to an analysis of census datareleased Monday.

They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies,   geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs.  Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting   ready to retire. Others have been retired for some time.

We walk a little   slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were.

We   worked hard, raised our children,  worshiped our God and grown old together.

Yes, we are the ones some refer to as being over the hill, and that isprobably true. But before writing us off completely, there are a few things  that need to be taken into consideration. 

In school we studied English, history, math, and science   which enabled us to lead America into the technological age.

Most of usremember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We   remember the days of telephone party-lines, 25 cent gasoline, and milk and   ice being delivered to our homes. For those of you who don't know what an icebox is, today they are electric andreferred to as refrigerators. A few   even remember when cars were started with a crank. Yes, we lived those days.  

We are probably considered old fashioned and out-dated by   many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely   writing us off.

We won World War II, fought in Korea and Viet Nam . We can   quote The Pledge of Allegiance, and know where to place our hand while doing   so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America ; we   fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore   different uniforms but carried the same flag.

We know the words to the Star   Spangled Banner, America , and America the Beautiful by heart, and you mayeven

see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing.

We have lived what   many of you have only read in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America . 

Yes, we are old and slow these days but rest assured, we have   at least one good fight left in us. We have loved this country, fought for   it, and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and   nobody is going to take it away from us.

We took oaths to defend America   against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that is an oath we plan to   keep.

There are those who want todestroy this land we love but, like our   founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

It was mostly the young people of this nation who elected   Obama and the Democratic Congress. Youfell for the "Hope and Change" which  in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies." 

You youngsters have tasted socialism and seen evil face to   face, and have found you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, but most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social   Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting.

Manyof those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's   remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Kool-Aid.'  Now you're paying the price and complaining about it.  No jobs, lost mortgages, higher taxes,   and less freedom.

This is what you voted for and this is what you got. We   entrusted you with the Torch of Libertyand you traded it for a paycheck and   a fancy house. 

Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey-Haired Brigade is here,   and in 2016 we are going to take back our nation. We may drive a little   slower than you would like but we get to where we're going, and in 2016 we're   going to the polls by the millions. 

This land does not belong to the man in the White House nor to the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Eric Holder.  It belongs to "We  the People" and "We the People" plan to reclaim our land and our freedom. 

We hope this time you will do a better job of preserving it and passing it   along to our grandchildren.  So the next time you have the chance to say the  Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor ourcountry, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Gray-Haired Brigade."

Footnote: This is spot on. I am another Gray-HairedGeezersigning on. I will circulate this to other Gray-Haired Geezers all over   this once great county. 

Can you feel the ground shaking???  

It's not an earthquake, it is a STAMPEDE.  

You and I are Members, don't Delete, 

just read and pass it on .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

165. I Witnessed the Power of God Today

I Witnessed the Power of God Today

 

I witnessed the power of God today, in many different ways.

I know He is a living God who hears us when we pray.

But He is so much more than that! He wants to fill our days

with deeds of joy and goodness, so we’ll give to Him all praise.

His power, mercy and His might in many things abound.

You, too, may know His power if you'll only look around.

 

I witnessed the power of God today in a rushing waterfall.

Only He could make the mountain that stood so very tall

and the stream of running water that rose from its inner depths

then hurried to the point from which it looked as if it leapt.

I saw the power of my God through eyes He gave to me.

And so I said, “I thank you, God, for allowing me to see!”

 

I witnessed the power of God today in the cooing of a dove.

He spoke sweetly to his mate. He seemed to speak of love.

When such a great emotion in earth's nature realm is shown,

it serves to bring remembrance that our God is on His throne.

I heard the power of my God through His wondrous gift of ears.

And so I said, “I thank you, God, for ability to hear!”

 

I witnessed the power of God today in a fragrant blooming rose.

It completely warmed my being as I held it to my nose.

How can a thing of beauty have an odor so divine?

Answers to questions of this sort are simple to a God like mine.

I sensed the power of my God through His gift of smell.

And so I said, “I thank you, God, for this wondrous gift as well!”

 

I witnessed the power of God today in warming rays of sun.

It felt so good to know those wintry days had come and gone.

I'm told He simply spoke the words and said, “Now let there be!”

And earth and sun came to exist for all eternity.

I sensed the power of my God through His gifts of feel and touch.

And then I said, “I’m grateful, God! You’ve given me so much.”

 

I witnessed the power of God today in tangy, tasty fruit.

He made several different ones, my different moods to suit.

How each has its distinctive flavor, I’ll never understand,

but the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisest man.

I witnessed the power of my God in the miracle of taste.

And so I said, “I praise you, God, for this sign of your embrace.”

 

I witnessed the power of God today in calmness of my heart.

Such a quiet and peaceful feeling, only my God could impart.

I did not see nor hear nor smell. I did not touch or taste.

It was like a sixth sense, and it comes about through faith.

By faith, the power of my God now resides in me!

All I can say is, “Thank you, God! All praise be unto Thee!”

163. Advice from an old farmer.....

Advice from an old farmer.....

None of this is new; all of it is timeless.

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.
Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.

Most times, it just gets down to common sense.

162. Man Walks Into Chick-Fil-A

MAN WALKS INTO
CHICK-FIL-A: Is Completely Blown Away When He Saw This For
Veterans

 

By
Bill
Callen
| Top Right News

Chick-fil-A, the same fast-food outlet that constantly gets accused by liberals
of being evil, has once again proved the opposite to the world.

This time it did so by unveiling an amazing Veterans Day tribute that
left Georgia resident Eric Comfort in complete shock.

 

According to a Facebook post he published on Monday, when he
walked into a local Chick-fil-A, Comfort discovered a “Missing Man
Table” that contained a single rose, a Bible and a folded American
flag, as well as a plaque within which was the following
explanation:

“This table is reserved to honor our missing comrades in arms. The
tablecloth is white — symbolizing the purity of their motives when
answering the call of duty. The single red rose, displayed in a
vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing and their
loved ones and friends of these Americans who keep the faith,
awaiting answers. The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of
our continued determination to account for our missing. A pinch of
salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their
families who seek answers. The Bible represents the strength
gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country,
founded as one nation under God. The glass is inverted — to
symbolize their inability to share this evening’s toast. The chair
is empty — they are missing.”

 

After the story went viral, the store manager, Alex Korchan, explained
to WSB that his team members had set up the table because they
“wanted to honor veterans.”

Furthermore, he revealed that he planned to offer free meals to all veterans
and their family members this Veterans Day between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Korchan also put up a poster so that customers could write in the names of
loved ones who they have lost.

“We’ve had a lot of people who have come in and seen it and been touched
by it,” Korchan continued. “It’s been special to see.”


161. Van T. Barfoot died

Van T. Barfoot died

Remember the guy who wouldn't take

The flag pole down on his Virginia

Property a while back?

You might remember the news story several

Months ago about a crotchety old man in

Virginia who defied his local Homeowners

Association, and refused to take down the

Flag pole on his property along with the large

American flag he flew on it.

Now we learn who that old man was.

On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in

Edinburg , Texas . That probably didn't make

News back then.


But twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944,

Near Carano , Italy , that same Van T. Barfoot,

Who had in 1940 enlisted in the U.S. Army, set

Out alone to flank German machine gun

Positions from which gunfire was raining

Down on his fellow soldiers.

His advance took him through a minefield but

Having done so, he proceeded to single-handedly

Take out three enemy machine gun positions,

Returning with 17 prisoners of war.

And if that weren't enough for a day's work, he later

Took on and destroyed three German tanks

Sent to retake the machine gun positions.

That probably didn't make much news either,

Given the scope of the war, but it did earn

Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a Colonel after

Also serving in Korea and Vietnam , a well

Deserved Congressional Medal of Honor.

What did make news...Was his Neighborhood

Association's quibble with how the 90-year-old

Veteran chose to fly the American flag outside

His suburban Virginia home. Seems the HOA rules

Said it was OK to fly a flag on a house-mounted

Bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot's21-foot flagpole were "unsuitable".



Van Barfoot had been denied a permit for

The pole, but erected it anyway and was facing

Court action unless he agreed to take it down.

Then the HOA story made national TV,

And the Neighborhood Association rethought

Its position and agreed to indulge this

Aging hero who dwelt among them.

"In the time I have left", he said to the

Associated Press, "I plan to continue

To fly the American flag without interference."


As well he should.

And if any of his neighbors had taken a notion to

Contest him further, they might have done well to

Read his Medal of Honor citation first. Seems it

Indicates Mr. Van Barfoot wasn't particularly

Good at backing down.

If you got this email and didn't pass it on -

Guess what - you need your butt kicked

I sent this to you, because I didn't want MY butt kicked!

Do the right thing!

WE ONLY LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE! AND, BECAUSE OF OLD MEN LIKE VAN BAREFOOT!

160. A Blind Eye

A Blind Eye

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend.. He was always there for her.. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her,'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'

156. An Old Man and His Bucket of Shrimp

An Old Man and His Bucket of Shrimp

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.
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.

Live simply.