It happens every Friday evening without fail. When the Florida sun resembles a giant orange and dips into the blue ocean, old Ed strolls along the beach to his favorite pier carrying a bucket of shrimp. The shrimp aren't for him or for the fish. Strangely, the shrimp are for the seagulls.

Before long a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking their way toward Ed on the pier. They envelop him with their presence. He stands there, tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say, "Thank you. Thank you."

Next week you can count on Ed to return and perform this same Friday ritual!

To those who don't know old Ed, this could look like a meaningless exercise of an eccentric old man. That's too bad. They'd understand f they knew him better.

Old Ed is World War II hero Eddie Rickenbacker. On one of his flying missions, he and his seven-member crew went down in the ocean. Miraculously, all of the men survived the crash. They floated for days on a raft on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all they fought hunger as they drifted hundreds of miles from land.

One afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle. Then they tried to nap. Eddie pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged. All he could hear was the slap of waves against the raft.

Suddenly, he felt something land on his head. A seagull! Old Ed would later describe how the bird sat perfectly still. With a flash of his hand, he grabbed it! He tore the feathers off and each man shared a morsel together. They used the remains for fish bait and caught more food, which gave them more bait. They were able to survive this way until they were rescued, some of them near the end of their lives.

Old Ed swore that he'd never forget the sacrifice. He has never stopped saying, "Thank you." So every Friday evening, he goes to that pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude to say, "Thank you."

This true account reminds us of why we observe Easter every year. Easter is a vast "Thank you" service. Easter says, "Lord God, we want you to know we'll never forget the sacrifice. You rescued us. We were at the end. Only a miracle could change things. . .and You came."