"Hello, can I speak to Ruth please?"

The Following is a reflection written years ago by an unidentified author. The reflection is kept in the archives at the Sisters of Saint Joseph:

"Hello, can I speak to Ruth please?" Everyone who has ever lived or worked at the House of Ruth has received a similar phone call. People think Ruth is a person, but we know she is more than a person - she's the spirit that abides in the atmosphere of the House. Almost 10 years ago Linda Pearson, the first director of the House of Ruth, suggested that it be named after the woman, Ruth, in the Bible. Her reasons were clear and convincing. The young Moabite woman, after the death of her own husband, chose to stay with her mother-n-law. No one knows her real motives...was it for companionship, or fear, or love? The fact is the young woman could have chosen her own life among her own people, but she sacrificed her own future for the good of her mother-n-law, Naomi. In the first chapter of the Book of Ruth, the young woman says to Naomi...

Wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people shall be my people,
and your God, my God.

That kind of faithful support of one another is what the House of Ruth has come to stand for. Among guests and staff the rapport is one of; "I'll accompany you through this ordeal at the welfare office." "I'll listen when you want to share." "We're in this together.

May the brave Ruth of long ago continue to inspire the efforts of women-helping-women at the House of Ruth. And don't be surprised if the next time someone asks to speak to Ruth, the reply may be: "Yes, which one do you want to speak to?"