In 2019, I had the chance to finally meet Rocky Elton, a former classmate of my late uncle Darell (who also happened to be a classmate and good friend of my mother’s). My mother had referred to the fun times she had had with Rocky and Darell numerous times over the years, but I had never met him before. Rocky was also Darell’s college classmate at the University of Minnesota, and both were on the Varsity football team as freshmen in 1951, a rare feat for anyone at that time. I never met Darell – he was my dad’s younger brother, and was killed in an Air Force jet training accident three years before I was born. A tragic loss of a wonderful young man, and a loss that I believe my dad felt sad about his entire life.
Rocky and I were scheduled to meet at his home, to go through a book of photos and remembrances that I inherited. I had asked Rocky to sit down with me and share stories and memories of his time with my uncle over 65 years earlier. As we arrived and stepped out of the car, Rocky looked down and saw a gray pigeon sitting on the grass near us. “Well, will you look at that! I used to raise homing pigeons, and I haven’t had any in over 5 years! This one showed up just a few minutes ago, and it’s one I raised – it has my band on its leg. I think it’s Darell come to visit.”
Angels. Moments of Grace.