Maryannaville™

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 a remote countryside and this man would be the first soul to be laid to rest.

I was unfamiliar with the backwoods area and became lost moreover, 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 car door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of the workers saying to another, “Sweet Jeezuz, Mary ‘n Joseph,  I never seen nothin’ like that before  and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Originally posted 2009-03-17 09:42:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter