Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow
that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life.
As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director
to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or
friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the Nova Scotia
back country.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical
man, I didn’t stop for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone
and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew
left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for
being late.
I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was
already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out
my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like
I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played Amazing Grace, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept,
we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started
for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never
seen nothing like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for
twenty years.”
Apparently I’m still lost….it’s a guy thing. Hat tip to Joe K.