VISITING
AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE
JULY
2010
Bag
Pipes
Forwarded
by Jon C. Zimmerman
Subject: Bagpipes
As
a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was
asked by a funeral director to play at a grave
side service for a homeless man.
He had no family or friends, so the service was to
be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky
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 was opening the door to my car, I heard one
of the workers say,
"Sweet Mother of Jesus, I never seen nothin'
like that before and I've been putting in septic
tanks for twenty years!!"
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