Pulled from the internet — actually, from a Native American jewelry site — “The Ugly Otter” — this made me laugh. We could all use a laugh these days, so I figured “Why not?”

The Funeral Guitarist

As a guitarist, I play many gigs. Recently, I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a poor, humble man. The service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the backcountry. As I was not familiar with that area, I got lost.

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 the 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 own, 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 or friends. I played like I never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played “Amazing Grace”, the workers began to weep. They wept and wept, and we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my guitar and started 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’ve never seen anything like that before, and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Apparently, I was still lost.

I should mention that Ugly Otter sells remarkable Native American jewelry. It’s the real deal. He sells new pieces and old ones. He also takes payments over time. When I was very poor, being able to pay for jewelry over months — without interest! — made it possible to get special pieces I couldn’t have gotten any other way.

Really, seriously, great jewelry. The best I’ve seen outside of Arizona.

Categories: #Photography, Anecdote, Humor

Tags: #Photography, humor, Marilyn Armstrong