Thank you Mr. Wildstrom......

I met Henry Wildstrom today. Some of you may wonder who he is. Some of you might not care. Thats OK. I didnt care before yesterday either.

I was working when I was dispatched to Twelve and Southfield at the BP gas station. The call was to assist an elderly citizen who appeared to be confused. The caller was afraid he was going to wander into traffic.

As I arrived I saw the elderly white male at the corner and met with the caller. He stated that he was afraid that the elderly man was confused and was going to get hit by a car. I nodded in agreement at the caller and walked over to the elderly man.

The weather was particularly hot and sunny (probably close to 90 degrees). The man saw me coming and began talking in a very thick accent that I wasnt quite able to make out. He told me that he was waiting for the bus and that he had had just picked up his free prescriptions (tucked neatly under his right arm)from the store down twelve mile. He said that he was trying to get to Northland Mall and he showed me a bus ticket that expired at 2pm. I looked at my watch. It was past 12:30p. I explained to him that there was no way he was going to make it to Northland and back before his ticket expired. He had been waiting for a bus that wasnt coming for way too long. There was no bus stop where he was standing (As a matter of fact there isnt a bus stop in the entire city). The man looked disappointed as he wiped sweat from his brow. He related how hot it was. The man was exceptionally sharp for his age. I asked to see his ID. Born 1917. 90 years old. Very sharp for 90. I asked if I could give him a ride. He seemed relieved and again mentioned something about the heat. I let him sit in the front seat.

When we pulled out of the gas station I stated that I noticed he had an accent and I asked him where he was originally from. He told me he was from Germany. WOW. A 90 year old German! I couldnt wait to ask more questions. He told me about how he left Germany 60 years ago, when he was 30. 1947. As you all may or may not know im pretty interested in history and the military so I asked him if he had been in the Army back then. He said "no". "Its complicated". From personal experience I had knowledge that all German males are required to serve in the military, so I asked him about it.

He looked away and muttered in his thick accent "It was difficult, with my family". Then he looked at me for the first time since our meeting and he locked eyes with me. He looked at me in a way that stabbed my heart and I could instantly see pain and anger at the same time and he said in his thick German accent, "I was with my family in the Ghetto Amsterdam. It is bad memories. I do not want to talk about it." He turned away. A German Jew. A holocaust survivor. what could I say about my ignorance. I didnt know. He didnt blame me. I suppose had I waited for 3 more minutes I may have gotten the hint when I dropped him off at the Jewish Community Senior Living Center off of Ten Mile.

In the end, the reality of the situation is that 60 years later, even I could feel the pain he still experiences from the mere thought of his past. Thats when I realized how amazing God is. God puts certain people in very precise situations. We may not always know why. But He does.

Its amazing how we suffer as humans. Its tragic. On the other hand I feel Gods comfort in those times. I suppose I will always be amazed at how God works. How I can learn from people like Mr. Wildstrom. In his misery I learn to love Jesus even more. I often think about some of the things ive seen. The tragedy in living. The eternity of death. Unblinking eyes staring at me. You wait for them to blink but they dont. Ive seen piles of bodies stacked higher than me, with wives sobbing, sifting through them with a piece of cloth over their nose to cut down on a stench you cant cover with a piece of cloth. They were looking for their husbands. Ive seen worse than these things. Its not that I do not want to talk about them its just that I dont. Because the things I see are the things God wants me to see. Like Mr. Wildstrom, God wants us to see things so that others dont have to. So I thank Christ for entrusting me with these memories. They not only bring me closer to Him, they bring Him glory beyond words. Thank you Mr Wildstrom, for sharing your fear, sorrow and anger in a simple stare. And thank you Jesus for Mr. Wildstrom.