HEART-WARMING STORY FOR THE WINTER SEASON

from Richard Tillinghast -  

Heart-warming story for the winter season, passed along by Carrie Tebeau:

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 Kentucky back country

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, did not stop to ask for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw that the funeral director had already 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 so 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 gathered around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family or 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 nothin’ like that before, and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”