Bagpipes

As a bagpiper, I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside
service for a homeless man who had no family or friends. The funeral
was to be held at a cemetery in the remote countryside and this man
would be the first to be laid to rest there.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods area, I became lost and being
a typical man, did not stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour
late. I saw the backhoe and the crew who were eating lunch but the
hearse was nowhere in sight.

I apologized to the workers for my tardiness and stepped to the side of
the open grave where I saw the vault lid already in place.

I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long but this was
the proper thing to do. The workers gathered around, still eating their
lunch. I played out my heart and soul.

As I played the workers began to weep. I played and I played like I'd
never played before, from Going Home and The Lord is My Shepherd to
Flowers of the Forest . I closed the lengthy session with Amazing Grace
and walked to my car.

As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of
the workers saying to another, "Sweet Lord, I have never seen nothin'
like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty
years".