Ruth is a remarkable woman.  She lived in Moab, along with her sister-in-law Orpah and mother-in-law Naomi.  She embodies loyalty, faithfulness, persistence, and devotion to Naomi. We know nothing of Ruth’s life before her marriage into the family, but what we do know is the bond that existed between Naomi, and Ruth. *As their story unfolds, it is obvious there is a deep level of concern and care for each other. Having faced multiple traumas in the deaths, first of Naomi’s husband, then the deaths of Naomi’s sons, (husbands of Oprah and Ruth)they  have drawn  close.

Shared trauma tends to bond people together. Once Naomi concluded she needed to return to her homeland, both daughter-in-laws intend to go with her. Naomi, not wanting to burden them, encouraged them to return to their families. Eventually, Naomi was able to convince Orpah, but Ruth was insistent that she would go back with Naomi to her land,  “Don’t urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you,” she said. “Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth 1:16

I think of the kind of loyalty and love that must have existed between the two of them. Ruth’s faithfulness and persistence continue, as the women travel back to Bethlehem. In this strange new place, Ruth follows her mother-in-law’s advice. Going out to harvest grain left for the poor, Ruth will return again and again, providing for them both. Later, she will follow Naomi’s directions, as Naomi tries to secure Ruth’s future. In the strange working of details, alien to those in our time, but making perfect sense to the era when they lived, Ruth is married to Boaz. And the child that she bears becomes the grandfather of King David.

But that was not her concern when baby Obed was born. She is blessed with a healthy child, who had the loving gift of  his grandmother Naomi.

I think of the strength and love of this family, passed on from one generation to the next. The devotion of Ruth was ingrained in her great- grandson King David, in the way he lived his life. Naomi’s wisdom flows though the generations and is embodied in King Solomon.

 We will never see the full impact of our lives. What is passed on, from generation to generation is embedded, not only in our children and grandchildren, but in those closest to us . . . people we have loved and cared for, who have been nurtured by us and who have found something in our lives to emulate.

*The full story of Ruth and Naomi is found here,  in the Biblical book of Ruth.