My rosemary needed just a tad of trimming today. Evidently I haven’t used as much lately so there were places new little growth could be seen right below a few dried ends. Likewise my parsley needed a minimal amount of leaves removed. And Allan has mentioned that he needs to weed out some of the scraggly growth near the creek’s edge which cuts down on our view. It is the appropriate thing to do, removing that which not only lacks beauty, but detracts from the beauty around it, getting rid of that which is unproductive. That I understand. I would not understand going out and taking out my beautiful yellow and orange day lilies; or the vibrant fuchsia colored roses or the deep purple verbena. I take pleasure in the beauty they bring to my everyday life. Nor would I want to be without the little birds who sing while I have coffee each morning, or the little squirrels who vie for my attention.
I get no say in what friends I lose. But I wish the most beautiful, enriching lives didn’t seem to get taken away too quickly and too soon. Regrettably and very sadly, that is how it feels with respect to people. It seems much the case that the least gentle, the least compassionate, the least loving remain, as if the gardener got it wrong. I know that is the human perspective. And I know we’re told not to question God. But that is pious hyperbole spoken by one who is not at a particular time going through a loss, has yet to experience a loss, or one who would never admit to his/her humanness.
My friend Ruth died a few weeks ago. And when a person like Ruth is lost it truly feels like some of the world’s naturally exquisite beauty has been destroyed, in much the same way a masterpiece of art, enjoyed by the world as a whole, is deliberately ruined beyond repair.
I met Ruth at the joint Bible study that I spoke about in one of my earliest blog posts. Actually, I met her after the study was complete. She stepped up and wanted to see how many people from the eight churches would be willing to meet once a month to encourage one another and pray. Ruth was sweet and gentle and considerate of any and all around her. She was the depiction of humility. She had been not only a professor of literature at Syracuse University, but had moved on to become the Dean of the Graduate School. I doubt many knew that. She treated everyone with the same courtesy, the same appreciation for each as an individual. She showed a genuine interest in anyone and everyone who crossed her path. The kind of love for people that Ruth had simply cannot be feigned.
Ruth was a strong advocate for the arts. As a result the mayor of Wilmington attended her funeral. The concert mistress of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, as well as the concert cellist asked her family if they could be permitted to play with the church organist. They played various classical movements and hymns that were among Ruth’s favorites. The church inside was stone and the acoustics could not have been better. The attendees at Ruth’s memorial service were actually treated to a beautiful concert in a beautiful architectural setting. That beauty was a replica of and tribute to Ruth’s personality and life.
The things I have shared with you so far about Ruth are easily proven. They are proven by those who took time to pay their respects. This is the case not only because the mayor attended, nor because members of the Symphony Orchestra wanted to do something for Ruth. It is shown by the fact that among the many people who attended the service and stood in line for a very long time to speak with Ruth’s family were four women from the Ruth’s dentist’s office. They were in their scrub-type attire, having worked until time to leave for Ruth’s 11:00 AM service. I spoke with two of them. They did not have time constraints, but were allowed to return to work whenever they had had the opportunity to pay their respects properly. That was Ruth, loved and appreciated by people of differing vocations, races, interests, etc.
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| Tammy, me, Ruth, Kathy |
While I was listening to the music I thought of two pictures of tulips I had seen on a blog I follow. The photographs were such that you could see the tulips’ deeper colored centers as well as the opaque leaves as the sun shone through. In my mind the photographs were an absolutely perfect compliment to the architectural and musical beauty which surrounded me. Not only that, but together they were a perfectly wonderful representation of Ruth. She had depth of character and conviction, all while having a gentle loving nature that could not be missed because it was always in the spotlight of the light and of the Son that she so believed in and lived for. Here is the link to those photographs. If you see them, you will see the beauty that was Ruth.
This was a nice eulogy although that may not be the right word. She sounds like a very fine person. I was surprised by the ending. :)
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