Greetings to my friends who actually read this! Yesterday was a sad day for me, a friend of mine passed away. It was not sad for Him, the only suffering is on this side of Eternity. Ed Buggs was a man that grabbed my attention. He was a sharp dresser, always had a smile, looked important, and he above all was a friend. From a distance, some would say we were mere acquaintances, but in the spirit of the living God we were brothers.
Allow me a few moments to reflect on Ed Buggs. Ed just seemed to show up in my life at church one day. I wasn't looking for him, but there he was. After a little inquiry, I found this man had a history, most of it was good. There was something in his demeanor, something that said "He's sharp, He's a thinker!" Ed and I had an instant connection. Why? I could not tell you, other than to say that Ed was an immediate friend. We accepted each other, and he liked my music. He told me that he too was a horn player, he just didn't say how good. I never heard him play, and i guess that is my loss. Ed knew what it took to excel, He knew what it took for greatness. Living in the public eye, His life was lived "in front of the camera." The camera lens tells no lies. Maybe that is why he went into radio, people tend to be more forgiving there. I remember hearing him on the "Ed Buggs Show." He would say "Talk to me!" He had the voice of a Father, very calm and reassuring. He had a way about him that said "Come on, you can do it!"
Was my perspective of Ed correct? We tend to look at people the way we want to see them. Ed was a Black man, but that didn't matter. Ed could be green or purple, it didn't matter. Ed was a "Bud," someone you could trust. Every time I saw Ed, here came a big smile that said "Hey Buddy, how ya doing?" A part of me goes with him, and I will always remember him. So long Ed, it was great knowing you, even from a distance.
Friends come, and friends go. Family comes, and family goes - and one day we too will face the "end of the Journey." What will be said? How will others remember us? Were we someone that others looked forward to seeing, or one that made them run the other way? Those who matter don't mind, and those that mind don't matter. Connections are made from the heart. We choose to love, we choose to be committed, we choose to believe, and we choose our course in this life. Most of us do NOT choose to die, it is thrust upon us. Sometimes it comes quickly, and unaware. We do not see it coming, but BOOM! There it is! There are no "warning signs." Other times, death comes slowly and the end does not come soon enough. At times like these, we hope for a quick end to the suffering, and sometimes it seems an eternity before the end comes, but it always will eventually come. God chooses the end. God puts the double bar line at the end of the score saying "It's over" - Fine!
With the passing away of Ed Buggs, I look at my life and say "What about me?" What have I done that is worthwhile? What do I have left that I need to do? What is it that I want to do? But even more than anything else, What do I have left that God wants me to do? This usually comes with a relationship attachment. Life is not in the dollars earned, not in the number of gadgets, but only in those we loved. Only one relationship truly matters, and if that one thing is right, then everything else will fall in line. When our relationship to God is right, then our world is right. Sometimes we have unrealistic expectations. Sometimes we have dreams yet to be fulfilled. Sometimes we never reach the goal we so desperately were seeking. Along the journey, we meet friends and family, we smile and hug, we laugh and we cry. At the end of my journey I want to hear "Well done Thou good and faithful servant!" Just over in the glory land, I'll join the Happy Angel Band, just over in the glory land. We will see many on the other side. Success for some will only come on the other side. We are just strangers and pilgrims passing through. See ya later Ed!
