top of page

Good in a Pinch?

silaslowe763

Updated: Feb 5, 2024

Nearly thirty years ago now, I finished a high school week of wilderness camp and stopped by the office to check messages and the mail real quick on the way home.


Wilderness Camp, for us, consisted of carrying everything you need for the week in a backpack, while you hike the trails and forests of Missouri or the mountains in Colorado. Guys didn't have to shower or shave for a week, and the girls didn't either!


While at the office the phone rings, and it's the local funeral home director. He tells me he needs me to get out to the cemetery right now to do a graveside service. I said, "I just got back from wilderness camp. I need to go home and shower and shave real quick and change my clothes." He said, "No, the family has been out there waiting for nearly an hour. They won't care what you look like." Keep in mind they called me for a lot of services for people who didn't have a church home, or if their preacher was on vacation.


I couldn't help it, I had to ask, "Who is supposed to be doing this service?" He told me the name and further stated he had called his wife to see where he was, and he had learned he had mixed up the day and time of the service and was out of town doing hospital calls.


I said to the funeral director, "You don't understand. I haven't shaved for a week, and I have on bright blue pants, with a wild looking pink, yellow, green, and blue shirt. I can't go to the cemetery looking like this. I have to run home first." He said, "Please just go now, they won't care." "Alright," I replied.


I arrived to find a nice family, patiently waiting. I walked up to them, introduced myself, and apologized for my looks and explained the situation. They introduced themselves to me while laughing, and we talked for a few minutes. Turns out they were very sympathetic as several of them were volunteer youth workers. I asked about their loved one, as they were all from out of town and unknown to me. I apologized on behalf of the preacher that was supposed to be there. One of the older men in the family said, "I guess we'll see how good you do in a pinch!"


We finished the service and were walking back to our vehicles, when the preacher who was supposed to be there, came flying up in his car and bailed out tying his tie. I said to them, "That is the man you were waiting for. You won't hurt my feelings if you want to forget what we did, and start over." They said, "Nope, we're good."





9 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Don't give in!

Satan wants you to accept sin as normal. Therefore, he will get people to insert certain sins into things you like most. I love baseball....

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

That's true of a lot of things, isn't it? I thought of that again this morning when I cleaned up after breakfast. I wanted comfy clothes...

Comments


bottom of page