Ralph John Sovilla

My grandpa passed away on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. He had been on his deathbed for nearly a week, so family was able to visit him at the hospital as they could. I was here in Chicago, enjoying a visit from two of my sisters, Hannah and Diana. The three of us were together when we heard the news of grandpa's death.

Now my sisters have gone back to California, and Scotty, Micah and I will be flying in on Friday night to attend grandpa's funeral service over the weekend. It is slightly odd to be here in Chicago, going about my daily duties and responsibilities, not fully experiencing what my family is going through back home - relatives from out of town, funeral arrangements, details and programming, talking, laughing, crying, going about their daily duties. I will just be one of those "out of town relatives" coming in for the funeral on Sunday, yet he had been my only surviving grandpa left...

On occasion, I am reminded of grandpa's life and death, and am able to get a sense of what is going on back at home - through a song, my sister Rachel's blog, a phone call, a memory... Last night, a song began to play on iTunes, as Scott and I were doing work on the computer. Scott said something like, "Does this remind you of grandpa's life?" I've heard the song a dozen times before, always thinking it was tragic yet beautiful at the end. This time through, I intently listened to every word. Though it doesn't all accurately depict grandpa's life, I noticed a lot of similarities.

Here's the song on YouTube (with just a screen shot of their album cover while the song plays), as well as the lyrics below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=535KzUZsefA

Deathbed, by Relient K

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

The year was nineteen forty one
I was eight years old and
Far far too young
To know that the stories
Of battles and glory
Was a tale a kind mother
Made up for her son
You see
Dad was a traveling preacher
Teaching the words of the Teacher
My mother left mourning
Went off to the war
And died there with honor
Somewhere on a beach there
But he left once to never return
Which taught me that I should unlearn
Whatever I thought a father should be
I abandoned that thought
Like he abandoned me

By forty seven I was fourteen
I'd acquired a taste for liquor and nicotine
I smoked until I threw up
Yet I still lit 'em up for thirty more years
Like a machine

So right there you have it
That one filthy habit
Is what got me where I am today

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

I got married on my twenty first
Eight months before my wife would give birth
It's easier to be sure you love someone
When her father inquires with the barrel of a gun
The union was far from harmonious
No two people could have been more alone than us
The years would go by and she'd love someone else
And I realized I hadn't been loved yet myself

And there's your typical spiel
Yeah if life was a highway
I was drunk at the wheel
I was seeing the loose ends
All fall apart
Yeah I swear I was destined to fail
And fail from the start

I bowled about six times a week

The bottle of Beam kept the memories from me
The marriage had taken a seven-ten split
Along with my pride the ex-wife took the kids

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

I was so scared of Jesus
But He sought me out
Like the cancer in my lungs
That's killing me now
And I've given up hope
On the days I have left
But I cling to the hope
Of my life in the next
Then Jesus showed up
Said "Before we go"
"I thought that we might reminisce"
"See one night in your life"
"When you turned out the light"
"You asked for and prayed for my forgiveness"

You cried wolf
The tears they soaked your fur
The blood dripped from your fangs
You said, "What have I done?"
You loved that lamb
With every sinful bone
And there you wept alone
Your heart was so contrite

You said, "Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes
Sanctify this withered heart of mine
Stay with me until my life is through
And on that day please take me home with you"

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear You whisper to me,
"It's time to leave
You'll never be lonely again"

But this was my deathbed
I died there alone
When I closed my eyes tonight
You carried me home

[Jon Foreman of Switchfoot sings, as the voice of Jesus:]
I am the Way
Follow Me
And take My hand
And I am the Truth
Embrace Me and you'll understand
And I am the Light
And for Me you'll live again
For I am Love
I am Love
I, I am Love

It's about time...

I just spent the last 15 minutes reading my sister Rachel's blog...and I got inspired to write a new post for Ruth Reflections. There is PLENTY that I have been thinking about blogging over the past month (a trip to CA, Scotty's new web-site which has already been up for 4 weeks, 2 huge Breakthrough events that are over, and many cute Micah stories), but the details and photos for those events will have to wait for another few days. Why? Because I am currently in Arizona at my in-laws, and the photos I want to post with the above mentioned stories are on my computer in Chicago! I'll have to do a couple "Snapshot" blogs when I get back to Chicago next week. But for now, it just feels good to finally write something again.

Arizona...at the moment Scotty and Micah are napping, Auntie Amanda is resting, G'pa Scott and G'ma Lisa just returned from running some errands, and I am checking e-mail. Oh yes, and the 4 Pomeranian dogs are lounging inside in the cool kitchen (they aren't prone to enjoying the Arizona heat outside, and prefer the indoors). :-)

The last couple days here in AZ have been grand. It is nice for me to see my husband get a vacation! He's been working so hard at Breakthrough, and at home too (doing graphic design on the side). It's great to be here with family, and enjoy good, long conversations about life. It's wonderful to take a stroll around the neighborhood with my hubby and sis-in-law and talk about our hopes and fears for the future. It's such a blessing to have helping hands with Micah, so that Scott and I can be spontaneous and goofy - like starting a Super-Soaker war, which ended with jumping in the pool and swimming in our clothes (thanks for watching Micah, Amanda)! It's fun to watch Scott, Lisa, Scotty and Amanda interact as a family - and it's a blessing to be part of the Ruths too (as well as Micah)! :-)

That's it for now, folks. I need to go check on my sleeping men (the little one should be up soon). I'll get back to you all next week (hopefully) to give you pictures and stories about the life and times of the Windy City Ruths from the month of June. :-)


Oh, and Rachel, thanks for being an OCD blogger, so that it reminds me that I should be blogging too. :-)

G'pa and G'ma Ruth!

Over this past weekend, Scott and Lisa Ruth were in Chicago. What a WONDERFUL time we had together! We had not seen them since Thanksgiving, so reconnecting was long overdue. I could tell Micah had a great time with his grandpa and grandma, as did Scotty and I. We were able to talk, show them around the Breakthrough Ministry Center, eat out, stay in, laugh over family memories and a little Brian Regan, converse about politics, and have some good one-on-one times. We look forward to spending a weekend with them later in June as Scotty, Micah and I will fly to AZ to visit with them when Auntie Amanda is there too (and we haven't seen her since October)!

May Your Wonders Never Cease...

This morning I sat down and journaled to God...it had been months since I had really done that. Towards the end of my discussion with Him, this song came to my mind. I listened to it, and it really impacted me - God is so good, and He gave so much to have a relationship with me. The love He showed by sending His son Jesus to earth is unfathomable. I am not always faithful to thank Him or live fully for Him, yet even in my shortcomings, His love will not change for me. My heart yearns for God to be glorified above everything in my life.

May Your Wonders Never Cease
by Third Day
Father in Heaven
Lord, may Your name be glorified
Above all others
Above all this world
Above everything else in our lives
For nothing else in all of this world matters
But to live our lives for You and You alone

May Your wonders never cease
May Your Spirit never leave
May we ever long to see Your face
When we’ve turned from You again
Oh how quickly we forget
May we be reminded of Your grace
May Your wonders never cease

Beautiful Savior
Truly You proved Your love for us
While we were sinners in all our weakness
Still You gave Your life upon the cross
You saved us, Lord, from all our transgressions
And delivered us into Your loving arms

Father in Heaven
Lord, may Your name be glorified
Above all others
Above all this world
Above everything else that’s in our lives
For nothing else in all of this world matters
But to live our lives for You and You alone

One More Iris

Today is Mother's Day. I don't know if it's my first or second. Technically I was a mom last year, because I was pregnant with Micah, but this is the first year I've had a baby to hold on Mother's Day. Anyway, that's really insignificant...

Chicago is a crazy city when it comes to the weather. Ask any Chicagon why it might be sunny and 70 degrees on one day, then raining and 40 degrees the next day, and you'll likely hear, "This is Chicago!" We can't explain the weather, but we do know that it's a little fickle at time. Such was the case today. The last couple weeks we were experiencing glorious, sunny days, up to the high 70's. Yet overnight it dropped about 20 degrees, and this morning we woke to heavy rain.

Rainy days cry out, "Stay home and relax. Enjoy the indoors." Scott and I almost did that today. But it was Mother's Day and I wanted to go to church for one very specific reason. A flower - I know it sounds silly.

I can recollect numerous Mother's Days seeing all the moms receive a flower at church. And I am a mother this year, so I wanted to go to church and get a flower. For that reason, Scott and I got ready and went out in the rainy day so Bekah could get a Mother's Day flower at church. (Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy attending church for other reasons! Actually, if you're interested, you can check out our church's podcast...Pastor Peter declares the truth of God's Word, and it is food for the soul)!

Upon arriving at church (about 30 minutes late...), I was getting ready to find a seat with Micah while Scott parked the car. Before I got very far, an usher caught my attention, "Oh, I am so sorry! I just gave away the last flower to another mom!" What? Wait...how did this usher know I was banking on that flower today? Was I wearing a sign that read, "I came to church for a Mother's Day flower"? I played it cool and said, "Oh, that's fine!" and proceeded to take a seat. I glanced around the sanctuary and saw beautiful single roses sprinkled across the congregation in different mother's laps. But not mine. I wasn't sad really, I actually found it to be quite comical! I told Scott the whole story when he joined me in the pew, and we just chuckled to ourselves.

When we got home after church, I took some flowers out of our fridge that I had bought on Friday to pass out to some neighborhood moms. There were 2 packs of 5 Iris flowers - 10 total. And I had exactly 10 people to give them to. I took each Iris and attached a little Mother's Day note, and went to deliver them to each women they were intended for.

Guess what I soon discovered? After delivering 10 flowers, there was still one more Iris. I did the math in my head, and even used my fingers to count - 1, 2, 3...yes, I had delivered all the flowers, but there was still one more. There had been an extra Iris in one of the packs!

I got my Mother's Day flower after all. God does have a sense of humor! Though they ran out of flowers at church, I had bought an extra flower on Friday (unbeknownst to me), and that would end up being my Mother's Day flower. :-)

Farmer and Skater

Micah's wardrobe doesn't fit one style. For example...

Wednesday he was Farmer Boy...



Thursday he was Skater Boy...

Sitting and Teething

Micah is growing up! He can sit up on his own (well, if he feels like it - he still falls over at times)...







...and he currently has 4 teeth. It's not easy taking a picture of his teeth, so this one of him using those teeth to gnaw on his stroller will have to do. :-)