The "Mrs. Ruby" Posts- A Lesson Learned

I love how, in most cases, the truth is so much more amazing and life changing than the rumors. I was reading through my blog today. I started writing this in 2004 and I must say I have come across some posts that I was surprised to find. When I read my post about Mrs. Ruby, which I wrote in 2005 during one of my breaks from Korea, I began to think about her again. I read it to my husband and he asked me if I had ever gone to visit her. I told him I was too scared to. I don't know her although even my mother suggested visiting...read my original post. I got curious so I typed her name and Florence into Google and found an article written as recently as this year. This article was of an interview with Mrs. Ruby. (http://theflossip.com/2009/05/05/mrs-ruby-didn’t-come-to-florence-florence-came-to-mrs-ruby/

I wish I had had the guts to visit her 4 years ago because her story, her TRUE story, is so much more inspiring and lovely than the rumors of a small town. I am a bit shameful that I even learned of the rumors and wondered if they were true. Through the article I could see how it hurt her that people would have made her life of service, love, Godliness the point of sordid, ugly rumors. Her life is like light. The rumors are like darkness.

Mrs. Ruby is a woman who defied the stereotypes and expectations of women because she faced the challenges of her life with grace, determination, and intelligence. She did not wait for a man to save her and she did not shun the man who would be her companion and helpmate. I hope that mothers will use her life as an example for their children, particularly their daughters. She has silently born the rumors of a small town with grace and nobility. I am beginning to see that the greatest examples of the beauty of the human spirit are everyday people who do not make a goal to be recognized for their achievements. Mrs. Ruby is a woman simply living her life without apologies or excuses and in doing so, inspires others.