Our Children in the Eighties (9)

“My Name’s Ruby.  What’s Yours?

Ruby was a year younger than Jim, and seemed to have a lot of interests that paralleled his.  Ruby was also interested in the performing arts.  She sang in the concert choir and the show ensemble at Franklin Junior High and did the same thing at Washington, and she played the viola in the school orchestra.  At Washington she was also active in theater.  I suppose her most memorable role was in Mame.  She played the part of Mame’s cynical, alcoholic friend, Vera Charles, a role that won Bea Arthur a Tony award for her performance on Broadway.  I think the performance that I enjoyed the most was Ruby’s version of “Send in the Clowns,” which was featured in MuDaCo – the annual Washington talent show.  

Ruby has always made friends easily.  Every time we went on vacation, she introduced us new people.  If we were at a motel, she would encounter some other swimmer, and say, “My name’s Ruby.  What’s yours?”  Until we left, she would have a person to hang around with. I shudder to think what it would be like to have a child like Ruby in the world today.  I’m sure we had predators back then, but that wasn’t high on our list of concerns.   I feel certain God was looking out for her.

Midwest Bible Camp was huge for Ruby.   She set a camp record for memorizing the most Bible passages.  Many of her closest friends were people she met at camp.  Most Churches of Christ in Iowa are small congregations.  Most don’t have an organized youth group, although the Central church in Cedar Rapids is an exception to that rule. Even so the young people in those churches tend to be very close to each other, thanks to MWBC and youth rallies that have been held across the state.   Prayer was and is a big thing in Ruby’s life. Sometimes we think, “If you’ve got a problem, you just to get on Ruby’s prayer list.