A Saturday Sister, part 2: Ruth

   The story of Ruth is one of the most beautiful in the Bible, but i never
appreciated what a truly hard worker she was until a we had a lesson on her in Max's class.

This is rice and sea salt, on blue construction paper.  Ruth picked up barley and wheat heads, left behind by harvesters on the ground where they had grown.

  Our lesson story 

in Max's Sunday school class was Ruth taking care of Naomi,, and being taken care of by Naomi and Boaz. One of the things Ruth did was glean in the fields.  

  Gleaning was the "welfare system" God set up in the books of law to take care of the poor.  It was not an easy way to live!  Max and i sat at our comfortable table, in sturdy chairs, to glean the rice from the salt, against a clearly distinguishable background.

  Max didn't stick it long.

 

  i hadn't intended to give us so much to work with!  Three days later, i had separated the rice from the salt - and i THINK i got it right.  

Ruth & Me

  Of course, i'm well- (over-?) fed.  Ruth was depending on what she got to feed herself and Naomi.  We're planning to eat this rice at some point, but we wouldn't have missed it if i'd tossed it.

 

In the book of Ruth, we have the beloved words,
     "For wherever you go, I will go,
      and wherever you live, I will live;
      your people will be my people,
      and your God will be my God."