Many of us have become accustomed to the fast-paced life that we live. At times, it can be to our benefit but there are many times in which we forgo some of the niceties in life. That is often the case with manners, and many people who would otherwise have shown considerable respect to others have somehow lost the ability to do so in today’s world.
You don’t have to look very far back to see when manners were the primary thing. Men would stand up when women left the table and youngsters would wait for the elders to be served before they ate their meal. Of course, not taking part in those customs is not necessarily wrong but we have seemed to have lost something as a result of the lack of manners.
One of the things that seems to have been lost altogether is the respect that is shown when a funeral procession passes by. Most people today are in such a hurry that they don’t give it a second thought. On top of that, most people don’t understand what to do when a funeral procession is in the area. From time to time, however, we see people going out of their way to show respect and when that occurs, it really is something that touches our heart. Erin Hester recently experienced this for herself when driving through her town.
As Erin was driving along, it was pouring down rain and she was surprised to see a man standing alongside of the road outside of his car. When she got closer, she saw that he was a soldier in uniform and he was standing at attention.
Erin tried to discern why the soldier was acting in such a way and that is when the funeral procession passed by, all of them with their headlights on.
She also respectfully pulled to the side of the road until the funeral procession passed. Erin then shared her story on Facebook got home.
“I always get frustrated when I see cars that don’t pull to the side and stop for a procession,” she wrote, “but this gentlemen went above and beyond.”
As far as Erin knew, there were no military rules that required this to be done by a soldier. This man was simply showing his respect because it was the right thing to do.
“This made my heart happy to see the amount of respect that this gentleman showed a family that he doesn’t even know,” she said.
Many others who saw the photo also were touched by the story.
Brandi Guillet commented, “I’m so glad you captured this. This young man was raised [with] love and respect in his heart.”
Similar experiences were also shared in response to the picture.
“When my dad passed away we were following the casket through a not wonderful side of town.. we passed a bus stop and a man who was waiting for the bus stood up and took off his hat,” Victoria Archibeque recalled. “I cried and it took everything I had to not go hug him. It’s amazing when someone does something for nothing in return.”
We may never know the name of the soldier but we do know that he deserves recognition for this kind deed. One thing is certain, his display of honor and respect is one that certainly touched a grieving family and anyone else who saw him.
Be sure to share this with your friends.