“For the love of God...

It was Wednesday morning when I learned that Bruce, a brother in every sense of the word except biological, had died.   It was so unexpected.  There wasn’t a hint of him being ill or injured.   All I really knew is that he was found in our home by another very close friend and that he had passed. 

So, the past few days have been days of reflection.  Sudden deaths are hard that way.   You turn around and SMACK!  It just hits you.  I thought I had a good grip on the idea of life being short.  My father’s death was sudden.   I was 14 years old – he just 41, and he was gone.  No warning. And then, my best friend from my younger years, (in fact the friend I was with when I was told my father had died), died suddenly.  He was killed.   He was in his early twenties, just finishing college. 

Bruce was 67 years young.   From the perspective of a young man, maybe 67 isn’t that young, but now…   It just doesn’t feel like it was his time. 

I was a teenager when I first met Bruce.   For the first few years I would see him occasionally as he worked in the same office as my mother.  They both worked for Department of Health and Human Resources.  Later, I must have been 20 years old, Bruce and I began to talk a lot.   We spent hours talking.   Early on, he knew he could often find me at HoJo’s reading a book over a pot of coffee.  We were at different points in our lives, he being 15 years my senior, but we were both on a journey, looking for meaning, looking for answers.   As the years moved forward, I began to know Bruce as a walker.   There were two walkers in Wheeling that I knew of at the time (this is before it became popular) and Bruce was one of them.   He walked all over the city.  I remember being amazed at the distance and frequency of his walking.   I also remember seeing his library of books early on.  He always had a book with him.   His library was very impressive.  That was way back around 1980 and he would often collect 3 or 4 books a week.   You can imagine what his library would look like now.   I also knew Bruce as the guy who was so committed to donating both time and money to the work of Sister Lorentia & Sister Daniel at Catholic Charities on 18th Street in Wheeling.   I think their faith, their living faith, was foundational to rest of Bruce’s life.   One of his prayers, that he often prayed came from the Sisters.   Their prayer was:

“For the love of God,

I will do whatever seems needed,
For whoever needs,
With whatever God provides.

Those words, seen in the life of the two committed Sisters became Bruce’s call.   That is the life I think of when I think of Bruce.   I was fortunate to see his example while I was seeking my way as a young adult.   Unfortunately, examples of people living a life that is so congruent with their faith is not necessarily all that common these days.  For Bruce, his life was not meant to be complicated.   His call was as simple as the call that Jesus gave to the man who approached him and asked “What do I need to do to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” and Jesus answered – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul  and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Bruce understood that he had been called to build the Kingdom here and now, on earth as it is in heaven.  So, it wasn’t complicated.   The Old Testament also put it simply in Micah 6,  It is written – “ the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  Again, for Bruce, it was not complicated.   So for the past 35 years I’ve watched Bruce live out his call, and live it with integrity.    

I watched him sit at a table and write out the names of hundreds of people that he knew, or knew of, in one of his journals, as a prayer.  As he would write their name, he would be praying for them.   This was not a one-time occurrence for him, this was routine.   And, what I came to learn about Bruce’s walking, was that he was just as intentional.  His walking was a prayer.   As he would pass a church, or a school or anywhere that people gathered, he would see them, connect, and say a prayer.   His thoughts and prayers would often lead to an essay, or a poem, and he would spend loads of money to share the insight with others – as a way of connecting with them.   He didn’t make address labels to be more efficient though.  Again, as he would address an envelope, he would say a prayer.   So, when I was hundreds of miles away, and I would receive an envelope from Bruce, I knew he had been praying for me.  

Bruce was a good friend to many.  He certainly was good friend to me.   No matter what was going on in his life, he would always be certain to ask – “How are YOU doing Bill?”.  He sought out ways to be a part of the community and contribute to the community.  His understood what it meant to build the kingdom.  He was quiet, he was gentle and he was generous. 

His physical presence will be missed – but his life continues on.

Rest in peace, Bruce.  Know that you have been loved. 

Your friend always,

Bill