So much has changed in the world in the past 50 years. An entirely new generation has come of age and brought with it the mantra that they are the center of it all. Their focus and concern never seem to drift beyond their own reflection that they see in the mirror each day. Millions of dollars are spent on keeping themselves looking and feeling young and making their lives easier. Electronics are used to complete mundane tasks, keep up on the news and even to contact those they claim to hold most dear. Parents and children text, instant message and email far more often than they speak to each other on the phone and exponentially more than they speak in person. And they call this progress.
I don’t blame technology nor do I want to see it abolished, I simply hope that we, as people, can find a happy medium where we use technology to improve our lives but not replace our actual participation in it. We need to stop and remember what is truly important in the world; those we care about, those we love.
I was reminded of this important lesson as I heard stories about the life of an amazing lady who is a dear friend of a dear friend of mine. From a very early age, this lady has faced challenges and obstacles which would cause even the strongest of people to crumble in defeat. But she has a strong sense of loyalty and love that has motivated her to continue on and to care for her loved ones even when the future looks most bleak.
As a child, she experienced the emotional and physical pain of surviving a catastrophic fire at her family home. Days in the hospital and years of suffering from major burns covering her legs, as well as the emotional scars she still carries in her heart, didn’t stop her will to survive. Sadly, her mother didn’t survive. Her burns and injuries claimed her life after a long struggle in the hospital, which left her oldest daughter to care for her younger siblings at the age of only sixteen.
The trauma of the fire and agonizing loss of her mother only served as motivation to do all she could for her brother and sister. As a teenager, she worked to provide a home for them in an effort to give them the family life and childhood experiences that the fire had taken from them. But first, she had to get her sister out of an orphanage while her brother lived with family members. Her efforts and hard work were rewarded in the form of an amazing man. Not only did he marry her but he helped raise her siblings with all of the love and support that a parent would provide their own children. Never having children of their own, this couple chose to rebuild her young sibling’s lives that had been all but destroyed. Their legacy would be the love, successes and the good that these children would bring to this world.
Her injuries alone were enough to make any person bitter and defeated. But she didn’t give up or look for a lifetime of support as if it were owed to her. She chose to find the inner strength and to work for all that she and her siblings needed. She loved them, cared for them and provided for them before ever thinking of herself or her needs. To this day, this amazing lady can be found helping her neighbors in any way she can. Physically carrying a heavy load is a simple task for her after the weight of the emotional scars she has carried for a lifetime. But never will she complain, give up or even ask for help. In her moments of deepest pain, she looks to others to offer a helping hand, not to receive a handout.
This woman, of all of the people that I know, has more reasons to be bitter or angry and yet she is not. She finds peace and happiness in sharing and doing for others. She is a shining beacon of light and goodness in a time when doing for others has been all but forgotten. I look at her life and all that she has suffered through, and I am ashamed of my petty thoughts of the “hurdles” I have faced. They can’t compare to those of this amazing person.
I hope someday to be fortunate enough to make a trip to the Midwest and get to meet this woman in person. She is all that is right in this world and is an inspiration to me each day. Even in her 70’s, she’s there daily to offer my friend the help and friendship that I cannot provide from 2000 miles away. Not only does she help my dear friend and all of her neighbors but she helps me to see that I must always work to be a better person, to be more like Ruth.
We should all aspire to be more like Ruth. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one that values meaningful conversation and inspirational relationships over the often empty feelings attached to technology. Life is so much bigger than the amount of likes on our posts. I live and write with that in mind and I hope it comes through.
Thank you for introducing me to Ruth. I would love to meet her too! 🙂