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Politics Foreign Affairs Culture Fellows Program

The Power Of Stories

A reader of The Little Way Of Ruthie Leming writes to tell me why the book meant so much to him. He says there are two reasons (I’ve taken names and places out to protect his privacy): 1) Almost 4 years ago my wife [Name] was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After a mastectomy, she’s been […]

A reader of The Little Way Of Ruthie Leming writes to tell me why the book meant so much to him. He says there are two reasons (I’ve taken names and places out to protect his privacy):

1) Almost 4 years ago my wife [Name] was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After a mastectomy, she’s been cancer free ever since, but her mortality looms clearly before me.  Your book encouraged me to savor every minute with her, and be doubly thankful for what I’ve been given today.

2) In less than 30 days we’re abandoning the suburbs for “the country.”  Specifically, we’re moving to my in-laws ranch in [place].  We’ll spend a year or so trying to figure out where we really want to live.  Your book gave a me picture of community that gives me some sense of what my heart has been desiring.

I know this book must have been tough to write, but I want you to know how much it moved me and gave voice to the deeper longings of my soul.

I can’t tell you how much hearing stuff like this means to me, in part as the person who wrote the book, but more as the brother of the woman who died believing that God would somehow use the cross she bore with such a stout, cheerful heart to bring hope and healing to others. She trusted that her suffering wouldn’t be in vain. This e-mail, and all the e-mails and messages and conversations I’ve had over the past two weeks since Little Way‘s publication, shows why it wasn’t.

Ruthie, age 5
Ruthie, age 5

It’s one thing to tell people they should be grateful for what they have, and that they should carry their cross with gladness. It’s very much another to show an ordinary person doing just that, and the spiritual triumph she accomplished by doing nothing more than being kind and brave and faithful and loving, despite it all.

About her extremely unlikely cancer, Ruthie once said to our mother, “People keep asking me if I wonder, ‘Why me?’. I tell them, ‘Why not me?'”

There are lots of people in this world who have it a lot worse, Ruthie said, and they don’t deserve it. Why not be glad for what I have, and use this time to love people, and to help them with their own burdens?

That was Ruthie’s way. Ruthie’s little way. And look what she’s still doing for people with it!

UPDATE: This via Facebook from Terri F. Whetstone:

Since the book I’ve heard so many people say that they look at life differently now or they are going to go call a long lost relative that they haven’t seen or have been feuding with

Everyone young & old needs to take the time to read this book & never put off telling someone how you feel just in case tomorrow never comes.

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