“There is great gain in godliness with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”
1 Timothy 6:6-7. ( RSV)
I once wrote about a homeless man who used to live in a brick bus shelter on a corner of Cumberland avenue, near my mother’s cemetery. His name is Bugsy, and whenever I visited my mother’s grave, I would look for him, and stopped only a few times to talk to him.
The odd thing about Bugsy’s homelessness is that he never begged for money or stood in the street, holding a sign, like other homeless people. He sat on a bench inside his brick bus shelter, on the corner, which he called his home.
When I first met Bugsy, he was all smiles and seemed very content with his bus shelter abode. We introduced ourselves to each other, and during those few minutes that we talked, I asked him if he would be better off in a homeless shelter rather than in a an outdoor bus shelter. In his usual cheerful demeanor, he told me that his bus shelter was his home.
Then, for some reason I said to him, “God sees you, Bugsy.”
After saying that, I thought it was a stupid thing to say, and maybe I should have said “God loves you”, not “God sees you.” I don’t know why I said those words, but maybe Bugsy was feeling unseen that day.
I gave him a little money and he thanked me. As I was about to leave, he told me to wait, as he rummaged through his bag of belongings, searching for something. He pulled out a small brown leather bible, and was so excited to show it to me. He told me that it was given to him by another stranger, who stopped by to talk to him one day. He proudly kept it among his only bag of cherished possessions. I was happy that other people brought him things too.
We said goodbye and since I don’t pass that route very often, the last time I visited Bugsy, I brought him two pairs of sweat pants that I bought for him, and that was the last time I saw him.
Last weekend I went to put flowers on my mother’s grave, and noticed that Bugsy’s home, the brick bus shelter, was completely gone!
There was no trace of the shelter or of Bugsy. I was shocked and prayed, asking God to help me find out what happened to him.
I searched the internet with the words “Where is the homeless man who lived in a bus shelter on Cumberland and Irving?” It brought me to a city group Facebook site, where a lady asked the same exact question, and there were about 20 comments by other people who also knew him.
One person said that he asked the police about him and they told him that a good Samaritan put him up in a motel for a week during the winter, and, sadly, he died in that motel. After that, the city tore down the brick bus shelter which used to be his home.
As I read all this, I was heartbroken, since Bugsy looked to be only in his late forties or early fifties. I remember how happy he was to meet visitors and showed me his bible that day. That bus shelter was his home, and since Bugsy is gone, so also is the shelter.
I trust that he’s in a heavenly shelter now, full of warmth, love and in the company of Jesus. That day that I awkwardly told him, “God sees you,”has now become an eternal reality.
I learned a lot from Bugsy. His joy and contentment taught me to be content with what I have, as today’s scripture verse reminds us that we can bring nothing into this life and we can take nothing out with us.
Bugsy possessed one backpack of belongings in his lifetime, and in it was a cherished bible, once given to him by a stranger. He reminded me to cherish faith above all else, to love God and to share His love with others, which is at the root of true contentment and our hope for eternity.
Lord, help us to find contentment in what we have, to pursue living in humility and joy, and to always show compassion to the less fortunate ones we meet each day. Amen
Rest in peace, Bugsy. ✝️
