We had a bagpiper come into the campground last week.

[Jimmy]

We had a bagpiper come into the campground last week. Over the years John has play many gigs. Recently he 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 Smoky Mountain back-country.

As he was not familiar with the mountains around here, he got lost; and being a typical man John didn't stop for directions. He 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. John said he felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.

John then went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. John didn't know what else to do, so he started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. He played his heart and soul out for this man with no family and friends. He played like never played before for this homeless man. And as John played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, he wept, and they all wept together.

When John finished packing up his bagpipes and started for the car, though his head hung low, his heart was full.

As John was opening the door to his car, he heard one of the worker say, man, I never seen nothing like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."