The Letter

[Guest guest]

Letter, The

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

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 a

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 alleyway. 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,

I'm was in the neighborhood today and I want to thank you for the

dinner and the coat. It was my great pleasure to have had our visit.

Love Always, Jesus