The Book of Ruth

Today I was shocked and heartbroken to hear that the famous (and infamous) Ruth = had passed away due to kidney failure (ie complications and side effects of the chemo and radiation). Those of you who knew Ruth are undoubtly heartbroken; those who didn't know her will wish you did. Ruth had the ability to make it seem that her days were 48 hours long, compared to the measly 24 of the rest of the world. She could raise four wonderful and successful kids, have a loving marriage (34 yrs next week), be active in a church, get Young Life started in LoCo and sit on committee, start "Lifeline" (a line for pregnant women in need of counseling), run my small group, horseback ride regularly, travel the world (doing things like bringing wheelchairs to paralized and disabled people in Romania or ride in a cattledrive in Montana...seriously), read a ton of books and still have 'downtime'. I don't think the woman slept. She was truly the matriarch of all things western LoCo and much more. I saw her on Saturday at Michelle's wedding and talked to her for just a moment--she looked so small and frail, but still had that sparkle in her eye that meant that if you talked to her for too long, you'd invaribly end up doing something for Ruth and totally thinking it was your idea in the firstplace. She had that ability and knew it; she could turn up that ol' South Carolina charm and get an eskimo to by an icebox not just for his family, but for the entire tribe.
I just think about all the thousands--not tens, not hundreds, but literally THOUSANDS--of lives she has touched in her 50-some odd years on this earth. She leaves a legacy and quite an example of what a mobilized christian can do, because there was nothing Ruth couldn't do. She took on Jen, Fran and I when we were 16-year-old punks resenting our small group leader leaving us for college. She worked so hard just to spend time with the three of us, and we never let her know how much it actually mattered. I regret that.
Ruth was not just a friend, mother, wife, mentor, boss, coulselor or gossip queen: she was a force. The woman had a gravitational pull about her; she moved earth in a way I don't know if I'll ever truly comprehend.
And she will be sorely missed.