After losing a loved one, it’s natural to look for signs that they’re still with us everywhere we go.
Amber-May and Andrew Robertson recently lost Andrew’s dad, Alex. Andrew and his wife managed to attend his funeral in Canberra, Australia before COVID-19 locked down the area, but their young daughter Ryleigh wasn’t able to say goodbye to her granddad.
A week after Alex’s death the family was driving on the M1 near Oxenford when they spotted a man dressed in a high-visibility orange vest standing on the overpass. Incredibly, the man was playing the bagpipes — not a sight you see in Australia every day!
“And we both looked at each other – because my husband’s father, Alex, was Scottish and he’d just passed away the week before,” Amber–May recalled.
Andrew and Amber-May felt like the bagpiper was a sign from above. They turned around and sped back to the overpass, where they found the stranger loading his instrument into the trunk of his car. Andrew was overcome by emotion and couldn’t even speak, but Amber-May leaned out her car window and asked politely if he’d play a song in honor of Alex.
“He just looked at us – and I think he could just tell, because we were both crying at that point, and he’s just like ‘sure.'”
The stranger took off his traditional Scottish hat and placed it on the little girl’s head. She stood silently by with her father as the man played one of the most timeless songs ever written, “Amazing Grace.” This hymn is often played at funerals, so it was fitting that Ryleigh got to hear it played in honor of her grandfather’s passing.
After his song the man bid them farewell and drove away, leaving them all in tears. They only caught his name, Shane, but went online to see if they could send him a gift in thanks. While they did manage to find him, the man respectfully declined media attention.
Shane’s daughter later came forward and said her dad just wanted to do a kind deed and wants no credit. He just happened to be the sign this family was looking for at just the right moment!
Watch the video below and share this story to thank Shane for this beautiful tribute to a total stranger.
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