Letter #2 - Sitting Beside Ruth

Joshua Tree California
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Dear Beloveds of Ruth
I am sitting beside Ruth as I write this update. Her eyes are open. Leonard Cohen sings Ruth’s favorite song Hallelujah for the hundredth time today, and Sonja is holding her hand.

Now she seems to have drifted off into sleep. I can’t tell if she is conscious in the ways we usually think of. Every now and then today it seemed as if she tracked someone with her eyes. She is not able to offer any overt signs of communication. The miracle of conscious is present however and my hunch is that she is using every moment of this time for opening to the vast mystery.
She is not experiencing pain. We turn her once every two hours to avoid bedsores. The wonderful Hospice team was here twice today in the form of a home health aid that bathed Ruth and washed her hair. This afternoon the nurse came and reviewed all the procedures and how to use medications when they are needed. The care team is getting very smooth in taking care of her.
There is not much more to say beyond that. Her decline will have its own pace. Quite possibly days, perhaps longer.
Thank you for the outpouring of love and support. Gathering together to practice and discover the truth of anicca, dukkha and anatta are what Ruth would prescribe.
May we all remember the preciousness of these human births.
May we all open to the love that is our essence.
Robert Beatty
PS Please remember there are hundreds of photos of Ruth and much about her life at www.RuthDenison.com.
Also information about Dhamma Dena at www.dhammadena.com
Facebook: Search with her name.
Dancing in the Dharma : A Book of Ruth’s amazing life by Sandy Boucher