A precious jewel in our family has left this earth for
her heavenly reward. She was indeed a
jewel and she was aptly named. When checking for the many definitions tied to
the name Ruby here are just a few descriptive words from those definitions:
most popular and very durable, most valuable, glows with intensity. These are spot on for my beloved Aunt Ruby.
When I was nine years old she was my Sunday School
teacher. I remember a verse that she quoted in our class one Sunday:
Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doing good like a medicine; but a
broken spirit drieth the bones.
She said that laughter
was like a medicine and it chased away sadness. I've recalled that for so
many years and found it to be true throughout my life. I'm 72 now and easily
hear her voice and see her face from that Sunday. I remember telling my mother
that when Miss Rivers smiled and laughed it shown in her eyes. As a nine year
old I actually said that it came out of her eyes. She was always
the same and her eyes really did smile.
I remember when she
married my Uncle Elwin Buck. He was my everything
as an uncle and mentor. I was devastated
and refused to go the wedding and cried for hours. I understood nothing about marriage and
believed that I was losing both of them in my life forever. I just could not
explain my feelings of loss to my parents and they were at a loss as how to
comfort me. She was my favorite Sunday School teacher too
and I honestly thought that I wouldn't be seeing them again. I was
definitely upset and hurting that night. They married on my tenth birthday
in 1959. Imagine my surprise when they
showed up at our home after church a few Sunday nights later and with Shipley's
doughnuts. The joy I felt at that moment was unexplainable and it was not for
the doughnuts. I am still smiling at that memory.
She was a gift to all
who had the pleasure to know her or even meet her. She seemed to radiate love
and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone whether she knew you
personally or not. I remember sharing with her my prayer for each of my sons to
have a Christian wife. She made a
suggestion and I amended my prayer that day that each marries a practicing
Christian woman with a servant’s heart.
Aunt
Ruby was also a prayer warrior, true woman of faith, loved her Bible and often
shared its contents. My siblings and cousins used to say and absolutely
believed that she and Uncle Elwin had a direct hot line to heaven and God's ear.
Aunt Ruby had a Godly wisdom
that she freely shared for which I am so thankful. When my precious and dearly beloved
Aunt Ruby passed from this life, she awoke in the arms of Christ, her risen
Lord and Savior. Her legacy lives on in
each of her children and grandchildren plus her numerous nieces and nephews as
well. What a blessing she was and her children were blessed to have her one
last Mother’s Day.
Thankfully I have the
comfort of knowing that I will see her later. Right now she is laughing and
celebrating with the many who greeted her at heaven’s gate. I can see her
smiling eyes.
Memories.
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