Sunday, November 10, 2019
09 November 2019
We are gathered here today to honor Aunt Ruthie in tribute and to share the celebration of her life.
My grandchildren often ask me to tell them stories about my relatives who live in the North County, NY. They enjoy hearing these stories that put flesh to the bones, and although they have not had many opportunities of meeting these folks personally, they know them from hearing their history. It is their heritage that has come to life. When they have actually been to NY and visited family there, they find that the stories are surprisingly true and are not the figment of a fertile imagination.
The grandchildren marvel that their great-grandmother, Clara Della, at the age of 55 could outrun her grandchildren in a race. They asked from time to time, “Why did Grandpa Clyde and Uncle Lawrence call each other George?” I asked Aunt Ruthie one time and simply said, “They like to tease and it makes them happy!”
I recall pleasant memories of Aunt Ruthie which are imbedded in my memory and in my North Country roots. My first impression of Aunt Ruthie was to learn that she was born into a home with 5 brothers. She was always very loyal to them, as they were to her. She loved them very much and they loved her. As a youngster, I stayed with Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Ruthie on several occasions. While Aunt Ruthie was the more serious one at times, she was known to shed tears of laughter and joy, and she could water a towel with tears of sadness which showed her great quality of compassion. Uncle Lawrence was a kind man who always seemed to be very happy and easy-going, always with a smile and his hat worn a bit crooked.
There were times when Aunt Ruthie was the expert at giving home permanents. At the first day of my one week visit I entered with the straightest head of hair you can imagine. By the time Aunt Ruthie got through winding, cranking and tightening those curlers I was fairly certain that my belly button was a new dimple on my chin. The relief when she took those curlers out was truly awe-inspiring as was the surprised expression when I looked into the mirror and wondered who that curly-headed girl was looking back at me. Those permanents didn’t wear out for months on end. They didn’t dare!
Many times during my high school years, I would ride the bus up to Aunt Ruthie’s to spend the night. She always made a wonderfully delicious spaghetti dinner with beautiful home-made rolls. There were always cookies in a jar, or a chocolate cake. She won a cooking contest at one time and went over to Burlington, VT as the prize winner to appear on television. I skipped school that day to stay home and watch her entertain Byrd Berdan (sp) as she mixed that prize-winning cake right there on that television show. Aunt Ruthie was a celebrity, and I was so proud of her!
Aunt Ruthie loved to talk about her children, her brothers and especially Uncle Lawrence. Whenever I called her, we usually shared a story or two about him. She kicked into a higher gear then. We chatted one time about how he would be ready to pound a nail into a board. He would look right at me and place his thumb over the nail. With a sparkle in his eyes and a mischievous smile he would ask which nail he should hit first. In horror I watched as he raised the hammer. He didn’t look at what he was doing. He just kept looking at me as he started to swing the hammer down. He would quickly move his thumb and the hammer landed squarely on the 10 penny nail. Then with a chuckle he asked me if I had watched to see if he had hit the right nail! Aunt Ruthie would laugh and comment about his antics.
I would write letters to Aunt Ruthie occasionally. She would send a note back telling me how much it meant to her to receive the letters and she signed every note with her familiar “Lots of hugs and kisses”!
Aunt Ruthie endured her trials and tribulations with fortitude and resilience. When I learned of her passing, I thought how we are all on the road of Life which has regular exit routes for everyone. Some are easy, some are hard. Some are sudden, others are long and lingering. We cannot block these exits even when we wish with all our hearts we could. Aunt Ruthie’s exit was indeed a relief from her pain and suffering, and this alone is reason for us to bid her farewell from her earthly sorrows. There is an empty space in our hearts this day and it is just the size of Aunt Ruthie.
My favorite scriptures tell us that when death occurs the part of us that lives within our body departs. It is like a hand that has been taken out of a glove. The glove is the body which becomes immovable, the hand is the spirit and goes to the next sphere. As soon as the spirit departs from this mortal body, it is taken home to that God who gave it life. There Aunt Ruthie was received into a state of happiness, a state of rest, a state of peace, resting from all troubles, pain and sorrow. When she left this mortal existence, Aunt Ruthie was greeted by a whole host of her loved ones who have passed before her…Grandpa and Grandma Tower, Grandma Hartson, her brothers and their loving wives, and especially by Uncle Lawrence. There was a grand reunion, a lot of hugs and tears of joy. We sadly say ‘goodbye’ here, but there they say, “She’s here.” She will still watch over us. She will pray for us. She will still love us with all her heart. Aunt Ruthie has graduated from this world and is very happy. We who are left behind are a bit sad because we miss her, but we also are happy for her as we celebrate her life, we remember her wonderful qualities and know that she did all she could do while here, and that was enough. In loving memory, Linda Hartson Greenwood.
