In honor of the bagpipers’ pride, I offer:
 
“The Bagpiper’s Tale; a Personal Testimony*

As a bagpiper, I’m often called upon to play at weddings, military events, and funerals. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a grave side service for a homeless man.

 
The man had no family or friends, so the service was set at the county pauper’s cemetery in the Kentucky back woods.

I was not familiar with the backwoods and soon found myself lost. Being a typical man, I didn’t stop to ask for directions.

 
I finally arrived an hour late – the staff from the funeral home was long 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.
 
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 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 20 years.”