The Story of Ruby Lee

 RUBY LEE

Gosh I feel so bad tonight for her.  She was weird, aggravating, loud, pale (very pale), and she talked constantly.  Her Father was my Grandfather’s brother.  He was married to Annie.

I never knew why Ruby Lee was like she was.  I really hated it when she came to visit and I may have even hated it worse when we went to go see them.

One birthday we were there and had planned to stay the night.  Aunt Annie threw me some silky pajamas from her bottom drawer and said “Here - Happy Birthday”

The thing about a gift is that unless it’s freely given with an expectation of love and gratitude it becomes a debt.

One time, in the dead of winter, my brother and I were put in the back of the open work truck with one blanket.  Off we went to Troy to see June, Annie and Ruby Lee.  It was freezing.  We survived - obviously.

I’ve thanked Mom for my life several times today.  Somehow Ruby Lee came up in our conversation.

She had been a twin.

Aunt Annie had poured Red Devil Lye down the throat of the other baby.

I can just visualize it, and I feel it, and I’m sure I’ll have nightmares about it.

I can’t imagine anyone, let alone a Mother, doing that to a precious gift from God.

I was making very good money when Uncle June died and so I gave Aunt Annie $500.  I was glad that I could do it.  Strangely I don’t remember any emotion from her or Ruby Lee.I remember my Grandad crying, and I remember my Grandmother putting her differences with him aside for this event.

Many years later Ruby Lee signed over the family farm to Mom and Mom did her best to ‘take care of her”.  Eventually she had to have her committed.

I imagine that Ruby Lee had been told about her twin her whole life.  I suspect that her Mother threatened her with Lye down her throat if she misbehaved. 

Where does such evil come from?

Satan.  He never ever had any intention of having us enjoy our lives.  He planned all along to make us slaves to his dark, evil and terrible way.  Satan spares no one.  He attempts to lead everyone away from the path of light and the destination of our return to live with our loving Heavenly Parents.

‘Judge not lest ye be judged”

I’ve pretty much lived my life non-judgemental.  Now I understand the deep and abiding reason for doing so.  Aunt Annie was likely mentally unwell.  She and June had lived through the depression and didn’t know if Grandad would come back from WWII alive or if at all.

I can just imagine your head shaking like a bobble-head doll.  My undergraduate degree is in Psychology.  There is something called ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.  It’s where prisoners are seemingly favored and then invited to treat the other prisoners as bad as, if not worse than the ‘real’ guards.  In WWII they were called the ‘Kapos’

After WWII a lot of study was done on this.  Turns out that we all have within us the innate ability to do great harm to others.  I’m sure this is a contamination of satan.

How then do we NOT corporate with captors?  What does it take?  Would you be strong enough?  Would I be strong enough?  When do we start resisting?  How do we teach others?  In what ways will we share this with our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren?

We do so by making up our mind right now.   This very second.  We build our love for others by appreciating what they do, where they have been and empathizing with their pain.  We get strong by imagining how it would feel to have Lye thrown down your throat.  We stand up for others no matter the cost to our earthly bodies.  We share our pearls and even protect the swine when necessary.  We teach others by telling the stories and showing the pictures of what was.

God have mercy on Aunt Annie.  I pray for her forgiveness and redemption.  Nobody is beyond redemption and God’s overwhelming love.  Not Hitler.  Not Mussolini.  Not the Inquisitors.  Not those who lit the straw to burn the ‘witches’.  Not the Romans who nailed Christ to the Cross.  Not Cain.  Not the Gladiators.  Not the riflemen.  Not the bomb makers.  Not the bullet makers. Not those that claimed to OWN others.  Not the thieves.  Not the drunk driver.  Not the drunk doctor.  Not bullies.  Not those who find laughter at the suffering of others. 

There are way to many people that history has made redemption necessary.

One last thought - “Did Aunt Annie fall down in the presence of her child?  Did she sing Hallelujah?  Was she able to speak at all?”

JUDGE NOT, LEST YE BE JUDGED.