Tom sent me this touching, sad story from a friend of his this morning and I have to share it with you. The Arkansas Memories Tour of 2009 next post can wait another day.
I was especially thinking about Greg in his ministry as a funeral director as I read it, for reasons you’ll see as you begin to read it. I was also especially thinking about Patrick as he grew up in Appalachia and the hollers and backwoods of Kentucky, among other places.
Here it is:
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 worker say, “I never seen nothing’ like that before, and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”
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Did I say that I also especially thought of Greg & Patrick because they both have such grand senses of humor? I really was thinking of both of them as I read through the story Tom sent, thinking it was a “real” one. When I finished, I was so surprised that I started laughing out loud and could not stop. I was just on my first cup of coffee and still half asleep and it woke me up in a hurry in the best way there is. With unexpected humor. Funniness. I called Tom, still laughing, to tell him how he’d just made my morning better. As he does my day, each day. And my life, each and every day of my life.
Hope you’ll share this story with someone today and make them laugh, too.
Cheers & many blessings to each of you today. Dee
Dee, you mischievous girl! You really got me on this one as I myself was teary-eyed until the very end.
You have no idea how much I needed this, especially this morning as my heart is heavy for my youngest daughter who is dealing with some very emotional issues.
You speak of Greg and Patrick and their wonderful sense of humor and you are right up there with them.
Love you my friend!
I love people with a sense of humor and those two guys have two of the best.
It’s been around a while, but still a good story. I would love to think it’s true.
I needed that laugh, too! And I reckon I’m going to be a funeral person pretty soon.
(Have you noticed it’s nearly impossible to tell a joke or a funny story to a preacher or an ex-preacher turned funeral home director?)
Yes, I’ve heard it a few different ways. Most often, it is a new preacher who is trying to find where the funeral of an important church member is. It is a good story! Meowmix is right — telling a minister or funeral person a joke is as hard as buying us a book… we’ve probably already heard the joke and bought the book. It is one of our curses.
One of our greatest blessings is having a friend like Dee.
(and I’ve prayed over a septic tank before when ours went on the fritz and our backyard became the world’s worst swimming pool)