I was doing my usual walk today. I had stopped to speak to a nice elderly gentleman who is always out picking up bits of litter on the street where he lives when I noticed the flashing lights of a motorcade bearing someone to their final rest.

    They were still at the light a block away, but I stopped and waited, because that is what one DOES.

    A couple of teenagers were walking by, and the boy said:

    "What are you staring at? It’s only a couple of motorcycle cops!"

    I told him that I wasn’t staring; I was stopping to pay my respects. He must have been genuinely interested, because he said:

    "What for?"

    I replied that a funeral procession was about to pass, and that I wanted to show respect to the departed, and to his or her loved ones. The hearse was now approaching, so I bowed my head.

    He shrugged and moved along with his girlfriend.

    I saw out of the corner of my eye that the nice elderly gentleman had removed his gloves, had set his trash receptacle down, and was also standing at attention, head bowed, waiting for the cortège to pass.

    The young people were walking up the street between the elderly gentleman and me when I saw the young man reach out to his girlfriend to halt her progress. He whispered something to her. They both turned to face the street. He removed his baseball cap. Silent, they also waited, heads bowed.

    The funeral procession proceeded past us. As the motorcycle officer who was following the last of the mourners went by, he gave us a slow look, and then saluted us all.

    The young man walked back to me and said:

    "Thanks for telling me. I didn’t know about doing that."

    Then he smiled and he and his girl went on their way. The nice elderly gentleman resumed picking up the small bits of litter – twigs, leaves, feathers – that he found unacceptable on the sidewalks of his little corner of our world.

    I walked on, thinking about the brevity of life, the finality of death, and - most importantly on this particular day – the fact that showing respect can unite the family of man, if only for a few moments.

    And because I believe that respect, love, and kindness often travel hand in hand, I leave you with this:

    "Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind."