Ruth went to her mail box
and there was only one letter.
She picked it up
and looked at it
before opening,
but then she looked at the
envelope again.
There was no stamp,
no postmark,
only her name and address.
She read the letter:
Dear Ruth,
I'm going to be in your
neighborhood Saturday afternoon
and I'd like to stop by for a visit.
Love Always,
Jesus
Her hands were shaking
as she placed the letter
on the table.
"Why would the Lord want
to visit me?
I'm nobody special.
I don't have anything to offer."
With that thought,
Ruth remembered her
empty kitchen cabinets.
"Oh my goodness,
I really don't have
anything to offer.
I'll have to run down
to the store and buy
something for dinner.
"She reached for her purse
and counted out its contents.
Five dollars and forty cents.
"Well, I can get some bread
and cold cuts, at least.
"She threw on her coat
and hurried out the door.
A loaf of french bread,
a half pound of sliced turkey,
and a carton of milk...
leaving Ruth with grand
total of twelve cents
to last her until Monday.
Nonetheless, she felt good
as she headed home,
her meager offerings tucked
under her arm.
"Hey lady, can you help us, lady?
"Ruth had been so absorbed in
her dinner plans,
she hadn't even noticed two
figures huddled in the
alley way.
A man and a woman,
both of them
dressed in little more
than rags.
"Look lady,
I ain't got a job,
ya know, and my wife
and I have been living
out here on the street,
and well, now it's getting cold
and we're getting kinda hungry
and well, if you
could help us, lady, we'd
really appreciate it.
"Ruth looked at them both.
They were dirty,
they smelled bad and,
frankly, she was certain
that they could get some
kind of work if they
really wanted to.
"Sir, I'd like to help you,
but I'm a poor woman myself.
All I have is a few cold
cuts and some bread,
and I'm having an important
guest for dinner tonight
and I was planning on
serving that to Him."
"Yeah, well, okay lady, I
understand.
Thanks anyway.
"The man put his arm around
the woman's shoulders,
turned and headed back
into the alley.
As she watched them leave,
Ruth felt a familiar twinge
in her heart.
"Sir, wait!"
The couple stopped and turned
as she ran down the alley
after them.
"Look, why don't you take this food.
I'll figure out something
else to serve my guest.
"She handed the man her grocery bag.
"Thank you lady.
Thank you very much!"
"Yes, thank you!"
It was the man's wife,
and Ruth could see now that
she was shivering.
"You know, I've got another
coat at home.
Here, why don't you
take this one."
Ruth unbuttoned her jacket
and slipped it over the woman's
shoulders.
Then smiling, she turned
and walked back to the street...
without her coat
and with nothing to serve
her guest.
"Thank you lady!
Thank you very much!"
Ruth was chilled by the
time she reached her front door,
and worried too.
The Lord was coming to visit
and she didn't have anything
to offer Him.
She fumbled through her purse
for the door key.
But as she did, she noticed
another envelope in her mailbox.
"That's odd.
The mailman doesn't usually
come twice in one day.
"She took the envelope out
of the box and opened it.
Dear Ruth,
It was so good to see you again.
Thank you for the lovely meal
And thank you, too, for
the beautiful coat.
Love Always
Jesus
The air was still cold,
but even without her
coat, Ruth no longer noticed.
