Sometimes what you are seeing is not what is really happening.  Here is a story about just such a happening.

This took place one summer day when we lived on Eastmoreland Drive on the street that was above the little roadside park off Davison Road.

Lois had gone shopping with Barbara and I was home by myself when the front door bell rang.  Upon opening the front door I saw a strange sight.  A young man with a rolled blanket over his shoulder and a suitcase at his feet stood smiling at the screen door and he was holding what looked like a plucked chicken in his hand.

He said “man you ain’t going to believe this”.  I said, “No, I am not but go ahead and tell me anyway”.  He said that he was walking along the road and this pheasant dropped at his feet when it was hit by a car and if I would give him a fry pan with a little butter in it he could build a fire and have it for dinner.

So I told him to wait right there and I would see what I could do.  I found an old iron fry pan and put in some butter and with this in hand he picked up the suitcase and headed over the hill into the park.

I sort of kept an eye on him while he built a small fire and started cooking his pheasant.

Within a few minutes I heard the siren from a police car in the distance then another and very soon four police cars pulled into the park and with their pistols out approached this guy and demanded that he stand facing the tree with his hands up high.  This he did as they quickly searched him for any weapons.

They found nothing and allowed him to stand at ease while they interrogated him.  After showing the police his wallet and some cards that he pulled out they all seemed to relax.  And after a few minutes of conversation they all shook hands and got into their cars and slowly drove away.  He went on cooking his pheasant.

After an hour or so he came up to the house with the frying pan and offered me the remaining piece of his bird, which I took.

By this time I am dying with curiosity and he then told me this story.

He had just returned from three years in the Peace Corps where he had been in several countries of Africa working with the people in these third world countries.

He had arrived in the states and had just come from Midland, Michigan where he had been visiting his father.  His dad was leading a concert of Barbershop quartet singers there in competition.  And now he was on his way to see a girlfriend in Port Huron when this bird dropped at his feet.  He had been living off the land for three years in Africa and naturally he wouldn’t let this new found opportunity of a fresh road kill to just lay there.

He then picked this bird up and after cleaning it, started out to find someone with a frying pan.  The first house that he stopped at, the lady of the house screamed and slammed the door in his face.  The next house the reaction was much the same.  Then he stopped at one place and the man threatened to shoot him if he didn’t get off his property and he was the homeowner who had called the police.  He felt he would try one more place before he gave up.

Lois and Barb arrived home later.  After hearing his story mom and I asked him in for supper and he stayed the night.  He looked a lot better after a good bath and breakfast the next morning.  We gave him a ride to Lapeer and he resumed his hitchhiking trip.

I think the lesson here is “what you see may not be what’s really happening”.  We shouldn’t be too fast to judge.  He may have been an angel. Wow!!!