Time is like a river!

Time is like a river!
        
You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has
passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life.

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 Nova Scotia
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 opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say,
"I never seen nothing like that before, and I've been putting in
septic tanks for twenty years."
    
Apparently I'm still lost …. it's a man thing.

E-mailed to SJAbram from S.Hodson, photo, courtesy of SJAbram