'Bye, Ruth. I'm sorry we never met.
Posted 10-08-2009 at 09:28 AM by LookinForMayberry
In Tribute of Ruth
She was 63 when she died, Tuesday morning, October 6th. Her passing is mourned by her family, friends, and me -- who never met her.
No, I am not some nut that reads obituaries and feigns grief for the unknown. She was my best friend's older sister. Though we never met, I "knew" her from her sister's sharing during the last year, since Ruth's diagnosis of lung cancer.
No, she never smoked a day in her life. A devout Mormon daughter and mother of many, she dedicated her last decades of life to her family, friends, and her church. She didn't question her husbands disregard, or how her God could let her suffer this unfair disease. Through out, she smiled, thanked God for her blessings, and talked about her kids.
Ruth is the woman others wish I could be, and will always be denied. Still, I know how much she meant to her family, her community, and those like me that can only look at her life and wonder.
Her loss hits my friend hard, not just for the loss of her sister, but for the chance to have that heart to heart talk that she always wanted to have, but never did. Like me, Ruth's sister struggles with her belief, and cannot see how one can be so trusting, and so grateful, when faced with such odds.
Maybe if she'd been able to have that conversation we might avoid our own questions.
No, I suspect not. I believe we all need to ask our own questions, and find their answers -- alone.
So, for now, I guess all I can say is: 'Bye, Ruth. Save a place for us.
She was 63 when she died, Tuesday morning, October 6th. Her passing is mourned by her family, friends, and me -- who never met her.
No, I am not some nut that reads obituaries and feigns grief for the unknown. She was my best friend's older sister. Though we never met, I "knew" her from her sister's sharing during the last year, since Ruth's diagnosis of lung cancer.
No, she never smoked a day in her life. A devout Mormon daughter and mother of many, she dedicated her last decades of life to her family, friends, and her church. She didn't question her husbands disregard, or how her God could let her suffer this unfair disease. Through out, she smiled, thanked God for her blessings, and talked about her kids.
Ruth is the woman others wish I could be, and will always be denied. Still, I know how much she meant to her family, her community, and those like me that can only look at her life and wonder.
Her loss hits my friend hard, not just for the loss of her sister, but for the chance to have that heart to heart talk that she always wanted to have, but never did. Like me, Ruth's sister struggles with her belief, and cannot see how one can be so trusting, and so grateful, when faced with such odds.
Maybe if she'd been able to have that conversation we might avoid our own questions.
No, I suspect not. I believe we all need to ask our own questions, and find their answers -- alone.
So, for now, I guess all I can say is: 'Bye, Ruth. Save a place for us.
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