Or rather, what God did through her. From the comboxes this morning:

Dear Ruthie and Mr Mike, I was your nurse for only 12 hours. I had six other patients that night, but you were the only one who smiled through tears after having received the worst news. I googled your name in hopes to find your address so that I could write you and I happened upon this site. I can see now that its not just my life you that you have touched in just a few short hours. I have been a nurse for more than two years and I have to say I have seen some things. Good and bad. You and your story will be one that will not be forgotten. I will always keep you and your outlook close to my heart. I kept asking myself that night Why God? Why does the worst always have to happen to those who are truly good?
I’ve always questioned God’s intentions and my faith, especially in my line of work…and here you are asking your daughters not to be angry at Him. You’re an amazing woman. You’ll never know how deep that question has struck the cords of my own heart. Ruthie, meeting you and seeing your heart was the miracle I needed to remember to trust God and live life instead of being bitter. You reminded me that God is like the wind. You cannot see it but you can feel it and you know He is there. I do not have the right words, I do not know the best doctor or the right treatment….this is the part of my job that frustrates me…all options are exhausted and I feel my hands are tied. All i can do is pray and I will pray for you and family. I only pray that the Lord God will give you the miracle you need. -crystal renfroe

Regular blogging resumes later this morning. I’ll post updates to my sister’s condition as necessary, and as she allows. Please keep praying for Ruthie Leming and her family, and please, please, please, on this day — do not wait — be reconciled to your God and to your neighbor. None of us know what tomorrow will bring. Be good. We don’t know, and we can never really know, how much a single act of bravery, of kindness, of mercy, can do for others in need. We who know Ruthie are now seeing the truth of what St. Seraphim of Sarov once advised: “Acquire the Holy Spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.”
(Photo of Ruthie laughing while fishing with her family this weekend.)