God had his MERCIFUL hand on me

Ethan, I want to tell you a story about when I was in the Navy. It was the summer of 1971 and my destroyer the U.S.S. Strong (DD-758) was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea for six months. There were 300 men on board our ship but only the Captain, the Executive Officer and three lieutenants were authorized to "drive" the ship. The qualification was called "Officer of the Deck for Fleet Steaming" which meant that under any and all situations these five officers could be in total command of the ship... day and night (actually, the Captain ultimately was in command but when he wasn't on the bridge, we acted on his behalf). I was one of those three lieutenants.
The Strong was operating with the U.S.S. Saratoga (CVA-60):It was night and we were in a formation (a screen) like this protecting the carrier (the "bird farm") from attack... attack from enemy submarines and aircraft. Actually the ships were more spread out than shown above... Strong was 2000 yards (1 nautical mile) on the port beam of the "Sara." It was night and VERY dark, we were at "darken ship" (NO lights showing on the outside of the ships) and we were at "EMCON" (no radio transmissions and NO radar which we would normally use to track where all the ships were in the formation).
I was awakened at 0330 (3:30 AM) to relieve Lt Ed Wicklander on the bridge (to take over as the Officer of the Deck). When you relieve the watch, the off-going officer updates the on-coming officer about everything that's going on so the new officer can "relieve the watch" and take over control of the ship (when you relieve the other officer, you announce to everyone on the bridge in a loud voice, "this is Mr. Mauldin and I have the DECK"... everyone on the bridge acknowledges this by saying together, "Aye, Mr. Mauldin has the deck"). This is what the formation looked like when I relieved the watch at 0345.Well, I relieved Ed but he neglected to tell me that at 0400 (4:00 AM) without signal (remember NO radio transmissions) that the entire formation was turning 90 degrees to starboard (right). As time passed I instinctively knew that something was wrong (Holy Spirit). It was VERY dark... I could no longer see the silhouette of the carrier like I could when I took over the watch. I was getting VERY nervous so I called down to the "Combat Information Center" where most of the radars were located and asked the lead Radarman, "Where's the carrier!?" He replied, "We don't know, sir... all the radars are off because of EMCON."
I immediately said back to them, "I know we're not supposed to use radar during this training session, but on my mark, I want you to turn the radar on for ONE sweep."
I put my head in the rubber boot on the bridge's radar scope and said, "Stand by... MARK!" At that moment, the radarmen turned the radar on for one sweep and I could see that the formation was miles away and my position in the screen was VACANT. I had to do something and FAST. This was what I saw on the radar screen during that one sweep:I called the engine room and said, "How much steam can y'all give me?" The engine room replied, "We can give you an ALL AHEAD FULL BELL for 20 knots, sir."
I stuck my head in the pilot house and said in a loud voice, "This is Mr. Mauldin, I have the DECK and the CON (this meant I was "driving" the ship not my junior officer assistant)... ALL engines ahead FULL... indicate turns for 20 knots... right FULL rudder... come to new course 090!"
My destroyer began to come right and increase speed (the formation was going 12 knots so I now had an 8 knot speed advantage). Throughout the rest of my watch we raced to get back in position. At 0600 (6:00 AM) just as it was getting light the Strong slipped back into her station 2000 yards on the port beam of the Saratoga with no one the wiser.
If the formation had been ordered to turn left instead of right, the carrier and all the other destroyers would have turned towards me and could have collided with the Strong which could have killed many sailors... THANK YOU, LORD! Oh, I had words with Ed the next morning.
I hope that one day, you'll enjoy my stories, Ethan... I love you!
Granddaddy
PS. Be on the lookout for a package addressed to you... I think you'll like what I'm sending. Are you attracting any Hummingbirds with your new feeder?
PSS. Call me sometime, baby boy: 931-598-9160.

1909 vs 2009

Ethan, the year was 1909.
This is what a Ford looked like then:Just one hundred years ago.
What a difference a CENTURY makes!
Here are some interesting statistics from the Year 1909:

• The average life expectancy was 47 years. (I'll be 63 in 2009)
  
• Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. (yours does and so does mine)
  
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. (I have three phones and the Internet)
  
• There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads. (there are more cars than that in your city)
  
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. (it's 70+ MPH now on an Interstate)
  
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower! (now, it's this building in Dubai)
  
  
• The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour. (I have a friend who makes $75/hr)
  
• The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year. (my friend Jerry made $300 on Saturday)
  
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year. (now a dentist can make $2,500 in several days or less)
  
• More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
• Ninety percent of all doctors had no college education! (two of your great-great-great grand fathers were doctors before 1890)
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen. (today I pay about $2/dozen)
  
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound. (today Starbucks coffee can be more than $8/pound)
  
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
  

In 1909 the five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza (heart disease in 2009)
   
2. Tuberculosis (cancer)
3. Diarrhea (stroke)
   
4. Heart disease (Chronic lower respiratory diseases)
5. Stroke (Accidents: unintentional injuries)

In 1909:

• The American flag had 45 stars. (50)
  
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30! (2007: 1,836,333)
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day. (thanks again for my Father's Day card)
  
• Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
• Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'
• 18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
• There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.! (Mainly because there was a firearm of some sort in almost every home! An armed society is a polite society!)

This is a sports car in 2009:
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.
I love you, Ethan... you have an exciting life ahead!
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160.

One smart crow!

Ethan, you know by now how much I love animals... especially dogs (and especially puppies!). This video of a crow making a tool to get those goodies out of that clear cylinder shows how smart and innovative animals can be... it's amazing to watch him solving his problem:

Get your Mommy or Daddy to get a little piece of wire and show you how to bend the end into a hook so you can understand what the crow did to get the goodie out.

I love you, baby boy!
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

A sad but very sweet story

Ethan, this is a very sad but sweet story about a baby that was born with some very serious physical problems. His Daddy made this video journal of his short life chronicling how much he and his wife loved their son and how God strengthened them in his life and in his death. It's kind of like my blog for you... it's an online declaration of how much I love you:
Click on the picture to see the video.Thank you for my Father's Day card... I can't tell you how much I enjoyed receiving your hand written note. Maybe you'll be a writer like your Granddaddy.
I love you,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160.

All done with painted hands

Ethan, here are some fun photographs... they are ALL likenesses of animals that have been painted on a person's hand. They are very colorful and some really do look like an animal or a bird.
A tiger:An elephant:A giraffe:An eagle:A dog:And a puffin:Can you see the fingers and the thumb?

I smile!

I love you, Ethan,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

Ethan, success is about passion

Ethan, I wept as I watched this video. This young man - who is about the same age as your aunt Kitty - has overcome more obstacles than 99.999% of all the people in the world. VERY few people will have to face what he has overcome. What an incredible attitude! He hasn't let ANYTHING stop him from pursuing his goal. Forget his limitations he is PASSIONATE about what he loves and he won't let ANYTHING get in his way of that pursuit. Passion is your key to success in life. It doesn't matter what your passion is focused on... if you keep your eyes on the goal and NOT let ANYTHING deter you, you will be successful. Pick what you love to do and GO FOR IT... ministry, opera, baseball, painting like your uncle Derek, bass fishing... it doesn't matter what you pick... don't let ANYTHING stop you... not perceived handicaps... not what people say... not circumstances... NOTHING! And just like this young man give God the GLORY!

I passionately love you, baby boy... I hope you can see that!
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160.

I'm still trying to learn this lesson, Ethan

Embracing Imperfection
"When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then.
And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.
On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad.
I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!
Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school.
I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast.
And I'll never forget what he said: 'Baby, I love burned toast.'
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if He really liked his toast burned.
He wrapped me in his arms and said, 'Debbie, your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired.
And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!'
You know, life is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook.
What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
And that's my prayer for you today, Ethan.
That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of GOD.
Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!
Here's a fun way to learn your states... Click here.
Have a wonderful imperfect day, baby boy!
I love you,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160.

This fellow is a GREAT juggler!

Ethan, I hope you enjoy watching this man juggle... he is VERY good! What is amazing is that his juggling follows the music.

Here's another fellow that is AMAZING!

I love you, little guy!
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

Ethan, here's a fun one!

Ethan, click on this underwater image and watch the shark follow your mouse.
Have fun, baby boy!
Love,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

Hummingbirds

Hello, Ethan... today I want to tell you about hummingbirds. They are incredible little birds. To fly they "beat" or flap their wings VERY fast... so fast that in flight their wings look like a blur and they make a "humming" sound hence their name. Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly backwards. They can also hover in place like a helicopter. The "hummer" that I like the best is the Ruby Throated Hummingbird... here's a picture of one... see his red throat?:
This a neat video of some Hummingbirds in flight and feeding. They love nectar from flowers or you can put sugar water in a feeder for them. They are really fun to watch. While he was filming one of the little guys got in his house and he had to VERY carefully catch it and release it. That happened to me too when I lived at Wonder Cave... one got in the house when the door was open. I didn't know what to do because I certainly didn't want to hurt him or have him hurt himself trying to get out. I think I was able to catch him by throwing a very light sheer curtain over him. I then let him go on the porch... he was happy to be free!
I don't know how anyone can deny the existence of God based solely on Hummingbirds and the miracle that they are. The Lord must have had fun when He created those little guys!
I thought you might like to have some hummingbirds around your house so I sent you a Hummingbird feeder. Your Mommy or Daddy will have to help you put the sugar water in the feeder but you'll love watching them. Be on the lookout for a package.
I love you, Ethan,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime, baby boy: 931-598-9160.

This is MAGNIFICENT!

Ethan, today I want to tell you about the Sistine Chapel which is in the Vatican in Rome, Italy. This is St. Peter's which is the church in the Vatican:The Sistine Chapel is a beautiful place to worship our Lord Jesus. Michelangelo is famous for painting the ceiling which is one of the masterpieces of all time. He was also a sculptor who carved marble statues. He did one depicting David and another one called the Pietà which is a marble statue of the body of Jesus lying on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion (it was carved in 1499, when Michelangelo was only 24 years old). Click on this picture of the chapel, wait for it to load and let your Mommy help you look around the room... especially the ceiling which was painted by Michelangelo and is VERY famous.This is a very famous painting of God touching Adam and giving him life... it's on the ceiling which covers 12,000 square feet... Michelangelo painted it while lying on his back... it took him 4 years to finish it:This is the David:This is the Pietà (Mary and Jesus just after the crucifixion).Wasn't Michelangelo AMAZING!? He was only 24 years old when he did the statue of Mary and Jesus. He said the Holy Spirit told him each piece to chip away.
I hope you enjoyed looking around the Sistine Chapel... I got to see it in 1971 while I was in the Navy.
Have a GREAT day, little man!
I love you,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160.

Look at the big picture from God's point of view

Ethan, sometimes it's easier to understand a message when it's in pictures:
When you question God always try to look at the big picture.
Thank God for the stuff that didn’t hit you today... God loves you, Ethan!... and so do I!
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

Really funny buildings

Ethan, there are some VERY funny looking buildings around the world... here are some pictures of a few of them:
This is the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum... it has a BIG crack in it that looks like an earthquake has just hit... but the crack is fake:This is the Longaberger Basket headquarters in Ohio... it looks like a giant woven basket although it's 7 stories tall:Look at this upside down house stuck in the bigger building below it... I don't think anyone lives in the upside down house?:
Believe it or not this is a library with BIG books:
WOW!... look at this funny building... it looks like someone squished it:

>>> I <<<Ethan

Have a wonderful day, baby boy, I love you,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160.

It's your Mommy's 30th birthday!

Ethan, please wish your Mommy a Happy Birthday for me and tell her that I hope she has a WONDERFUL day! Here's a video for her (you'll enjoy it too!):

June 3rd is a special day for birthdays... not only is it your Mommy's 30th birthday but it's Gray Craven's birthday (June 3, 1946) and President Jefferson Davis' birthday (June 3, 1808). Gray was one of my best friends at St. Andrews School and now lives in Palatka, Florida with his wife, Wren (isn't that an interesting name?). Gray is a really neat Christian man and owns an insurance agency in Florida. I hope to see him at our 45th high school reunion this weekend.
Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy and a wonderful Christian man. It is not widely known but the Davis family adopted a 5 year old black boy during the War Between the States. The Davis family rescued Jim Limber from a cruel guardian and filed the legal papers for him to be adopted by the Davises. When the Davis family was captured by the Yankees after the War, Jim Limber was taken from the family and never seen again. Don't forget to wish your Mommy a Happy Birthday for me.
I love you, Ethan,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

Ethan, you may enjoy seeing this Bald Eagle?

Do you remember me telling you how much I liked Judith Durham and the Seekers, the group from Australia? This is a wonderful song they sing about Australia:

Ethan Dail is my:

I love you, baby boy,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160

Your Great Great Great Great Great Granddaddy

Hey, baby boy. Today I'm going to tell you about your Great Great Great Great Great Granddaddy (that's FIVE Greats... not many people can tell you about that distant of a Granddaddy) for whom I am named (James Davis Drane Mauldin) and someone for whom we both should be very proud. His name was James Drane (February 24, 1808 - March 9, 1869)... he was also known as Colonel James Drane and he was the President of the Mississippi Senate before and during the War Between the States ... he was also a friend of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America which is where my Davis/Dave comes from. Here is a picture of his grave marker and his wife's grave marker (around the middle of his obelisk - that's the TALL grave marker - is the inscription "Col. James Drane... here lies an honest man"... WOW!... what a life testimony written "in stone!"):This is the face of his grave marker in French Camp, Mississippi which is on the Natchez Trace. He was such a famous man of his time that in the early 1980s Mississippi moved his house & grave markers over to the Natchez Trace and built a $500,000 parking area so tourists could park and go into his restored house (when my Daddy first showed me the Drane house years ago, it was very run down and being used as a hay barn across the road from the family cemetery where he is still buried. I have a small piece of the cast iron fence that surrounded his grave site). The late Justice James P. Coleman of the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; New Orleans (Governor of Mississippi & Mississippi historian) in his address at the Drane house's dedication said that James Drane was one of the major political figures of his time and a great man.
This is his wife's marker (Matilda Blanche Shaw; January 7, 1813 - July 27, 1859):This is a picture of his house after it was moved and restored:This is the back of the house (notice all the chimneys for heating):This is one of the down stairs rooms:This is a plaque that addresses what a great man James Drane was (if you click on this image, the picture will enlarge and can be read if you squint):Well, Ethan... that's your family history lesson for today... I hope that one day you'll be proud of your ancestors... you have a rich Southron heritage.
I love you,
Granddaddy
PS. Call me sometime 931-598-9160