The Angel and the Demon were sitting at a corner

No this is not the beginning of some lame joke. Last week I had an experience that I just cant get out of my head. It keeps tossing around inside me like a load of dirty laundry stuck in the spin cycle of my washing machine of a brain. I was heading over to Byron Center to pick up Iris and Lily after a long day of work in Midland and Mount Pleasant Michigan. As I approached the corner of 76th st and Clyde Park I saw in the distance a man with a sign in his hand. As I got closer I saw that the sign was asking for help to feed his family. Unfortunately for me the light turned red. As I began slowing down to a stop I saw the man set down his sign and begin to walk toward the Family Fare Quick Stop across the street. A well dressed lady was standing there calling and motioning him to come over. She had a grocery bag in her hands and I assume she was going to give it to him. The light stayed red long enough for me to watch what was happening. Of course I thought to myself what a good deed that lady was doing. I started thinking what I might have done if this lady wouldn't have bailed me out. Would Dan the deacon at his church actually helped this guy out? I probably would have sat at the corner trying not to make eye contact with him and then quickly sped away to get home to make dinner. It sure seemed that God was purposely keeping this light red long enough so I could sit and observe and start thinking about what was going on. I remember looking down at the floor of my car and seeing the subway sandwich wrapper from the 12" sub I had previously eaten. I wasn't hungry enough to eat the whole thing but a $5 foot long was a better deal then getting a 6 inch. I ate it anyway. I remember while driving home I was wondering about what I was going to cook for dinner that night. I also heard a few radio promos for places to drop off a frozen turkey's to donate for Thanksgiving and thinking how cool that is. Of course I didn't do that either even though I was planning on stopping at the grocery store on the way home. I guess I felt guilty enough at the time not to stop. to pick up groceries but to go home and cook with what we had available. For over a week now the would haves, should haves and could haves have filled my brain. That experience of a week ago is still playing over again in my brain. That afternoon I saw a Angel at work helping out a person in need. I also saw a demon at work. He was in my rear view mirror as I checked traffic to drive away. I think its kind of ironic how this event happened over a week ago and I finally have time to sit and write about it on Thanksgiving morning.

Goodbye Aunt Ann

This week I received a email from my father saying that my Aunt Ann DeVries had died.
I knew she was weakening in life but did not know she was in a hospice praying for the day that Jesus took her hand and took her home to heaven. Typical DeVries communication. This had the usual sad moment in my busy life and then it went on to worrying about my job and Hazel's job and raising the kids. Later I had time to travel down memory lane and think about my past relationship with my Aunt. The first thing that I recalled was how way back in Orange City Iowa (go Hawkeyes) was the beginning of my earliest memories. Aunt Ann lived down the street or streets and was the only close relative we had. My best memory is that on a few Saturdays she would bring me to Unity Christian High School and open up the gym door and let me shoot baskets for awhile. She was my local Grandma and always had a gift for me on birthdays and Christmas. After we moved to Byron Center Michigan I am not sure what road she traveled.
The next prominent memory is going to Ft Lauderdale Florida and visiting her there. I had the experience of going on one of those boats with big propeller on the back and visiting some of the Florida tourist traps. This is also the first time I tried skateboarding. Not a great experience for a big clumsy dutch kid. I guess this is my memories as a youth. Kind of sad I think. After that I was busy going to junior high and high school and then college and the rest of my life. I believe that all I knew of Aunt Ann during that period is that she was in Arizona. Probably wearing some rainbow shades. I know through doing taxes that she relocated to Cadillac and was with my Uncle Bert. The DeVries family has kind of went their separate ways and if it wasn't for facebook I wouldn't know squat about what is shaking the family tree. And this is also just as much my fault for not paying attention or being involved in any family functions. It started me thinking about some of my other cousins and what was happening in their lives. I guess I should go to the funeral and find out. That would be a great place to start. Anyway I know that my Aunt Ann is in heaven and hopefully talking to my mom about her two newest grandchildren and how darn cute they are. I just wish I had a little more story o tell.