Mrs. Ruby Saga 1 Finale

For Matthew had exclaimed to his longtime friend Jonathan Houser  (since med school anyway), "John while you have her in there, run a CT scan and see what that tells us. And John I feel like  I'm taking a cheap shot at you, but I feel I have to say this.  To you, she is Mrs. Ruby, the lady who made all those delicious sweet potato pies during medical school, but to me she is my world, besides my wife Kaitlyn and my two little crumb snatchers, Beanie and Becky", Matt said. Matt choked up on this statement, to which John Houser replied, "If you ever cheapen the memory that I have of your sweet mother again, you, Matthew Grainger, I will no longer count as my friend! Capisce? Well said John; well said. And I guess I had it coming, but she is (sniffling)... "No problem my friend, (huskily) no problem. I'll take care of your mother just like she were my own. Hey! Speaking of my own, how about them Timberwolves Matt?  Man, I think Gus Ward is going to take them all the way!" "Yeah man I..." Matt and John continued to discuss sports a little more then made arrangements for Mrs. Ruby to be transported to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

(Three days later - during which time Mrs. Ruby and I had a heart to heart talk. This is a snippet of what I told her.  Mrs. Ruby, you are acting like nothing bad or rough has ever happened to you. And I might add, that you are acting like a spoiled brat somewhat.  I know that you don't want to leave your home and move to  totally new surroundings, but life is not all about you, is it? I know that you would rather stay in your home where you are most comfortable, but did you ever stop to think for one minute, that maybe HE has a job that only you can do? Yes Mrs. Ruby, as you told me when I was whining and crying about having diabetes, sometimes in life, we have to do things that are very hard. Sometimes they are things that we just plain would rather not do. You say you feel abandoned? So did I. You say you feel bereft and  devastated? So did I. You asked, Why me?" So did I. Yes. I tended to have a big pity party too, just like you are doing. But I knew that people were watching me and I did not want to let the LORD down. I had always been a firm believer in GOD so  I took this problem to HIM like I had so many of the problems that I have had in my life. You know Mrs. Ruby, I asked you to think about the things that have happened to you in your life before, that you didn't like yet the Lord brought you through.  If you prayerfully look back on those times  and really think about what you learned from them,  I'll  bet you have used a situation that you were in to help someone that you have encountered that was  having similar problems. Now I'm sure you will  miss doing some of the things that you are used to doing here, but you will be doing the same things there in Minnesota plus learning new things and meeting new people as well. And you know that you have never met a stranger.(smile) And I'll tell you another thing, worrying about it will not make it go away. So do like I said and give it all to the LORD.  I just say, "Whatever will be will be." What I am saying is that when we have  devastating things to happen in our lives,  we have to look for blessings in those devastating events. Then, as I just mentioned, you can share the lessons that you've learned from the experience. You would not keep that knowledge to yourself because the lesson that you just learned may be one that HE wanted somebody to learn who hasn't been able to grasp it yet.  You might be able  to save somebody else heartache who's traveling a path  similar to yours.

Let me see, let me make an illustration. Think about all of the great inventors that we have had in this world.  I'm glad they didn't keep their inventions to themselves and because they didn't,  our quality of life is so much better. Well, I think that  that principle works in the spiritual realm as well. So when we learn lessons and as we discover things, we need to share them.  Then too, we need to talk about what God has done for us because there may be somebody who  is suffering that needs to hear you say that you haven't always had it going on. And yes, that you have had some trying times. Then you point out that owing to GOD's grace, you are still standing. The GOD that you serve that you talked about so much that people are always looking at you will be given glory by your testimony when you say, "Yes HE is still in the prayer answering business."  But HE is not being given glory by the way you've been acting: talking bad to the nurses, swatting that maid's hand and telling that welcome wagon woman to take those funeral smelling flowers out of  your room and to not bring anymore in. Is that the way that you want to be remembered? Do you want people to say, "Mrs. Ruby always acted like such a fine Christian, but she went berserk when she thought she had an illness!"  You have to remember that we are going to leave here with something, but how are we going to go out, with dignity, with our faith intact, still believing in and serving the LORD?  Because in everything we do, people are watching us, so let's say positive things for HIM in our lives. You see; you forgot to remember and I know I'm fussing, but I'm fussing at you like you did  me when I went through my bad spell a few years back. Yes, there were times when I would wring my hands and I would cry, but the LORD brought me through. What you forgot to remember is that HE took care of you when you were still in your mothers womb and HE's brought you down to this present moment. HE wouldn't have done that if HE didn't have a plan for you.  Remember Psalms 46;  you call that a spiritual treasure box. What you need to do is go to Psalms 46,  pray before you read it and read it until you have peace in your soul.  Just know that if the Lord allowed you to get to this page in your life's plan book  that  HE has it planned all the way. You have an appointment date for dying and it is not going to  happen before. 

You say I make you feel good and that's fine and I'm glad, but you taught me how to be an encourager, you know.  The Bible, in Isaiah chapter 50, verse four, says that, "I have created in you the tongue of an encourager."  Because you encouraged me years ago, I took that lesson to heart and  now, I am encouraging you.

So, I want you to go on to Rochester and have a great life and do what you can, while you can. )

Dr. Hauser, OR 3 stat, Dr.Hauser, O...
Mrs. Ruby awoke to the sound of the loudspeaker and to see a doctor, a nurse and Matthew standing around her bed talking. 
"Nana, Nana, where's my Nana!" Coming through the door was  Beanie, Matthew's youngest who was pulling away from his mother and making a beeline for her bed.
Amid the cacophony of no's sent to stop him, Beanie heard a young but very firm voice say, "No Beanie! You will hurt Nana's Oops!" 
Beanie stopped in his tracks and said, "Nana got Boo-boo?"
Kaitlyn said, "Yes Beanie, Nana fell down and got a boo-boo."
"Then Mommy kiss it and make it better." he said. Everybody laughed at that and Becky, ever the prime little delightful Miss, said, "Hi Nana, don't leave us!" and promptly burst into tears.
Amid the pleas, cajoling and her grandkids wailing, "But we could see you more, Nana." Mrs. Ruby agreed to be moved to Rochester, Minnesota by Medevac. Ever the one for adventure, she would not agree to being sedated. Matt, who had wanted it so as to not hurt her ribs any more than necessary said, "Mother, you are going to turn my hair white before it is time." To which Mrs. Ruby sarcastically replied, (with a full blown grin in place) "Your hair is already white, boy and don't you sass me, Matthew Grainger."  Tomorrow snippets from her life in Minnesota after she settles in and heals. 
...Yes, she did get to give Nana kisses to both of her grandbabies, with Matthew holding little Beanie up for his kiss. She went to sleep singing, The Wheels on the Bus, along with Becky, to Beanie and though her ribs hurt, she would not allow them to give her anything for pain until her grandbabies left. She said, "They look so good, I could eat them and besides, I don't see them nearly enough!"