Ruby’s Quilt

Dear friends I’ve had several requests for a new angel story, so today is the day. Ruby and Carl were high school sweethearts, celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary at their favorite local restaurant. They were discussing their upcoming plans to visit France. They wanted to return to the place where they honeymooned. They had reserved a room at the same hotel
and couldn’t wait to walk the country roads again. As they raised their glasses to toast their love, friendship and upcoming trip, the room went quiet. There was no noise from the other patrons, no sounds from busy waiters, just quiet.

They watched as every person in the restaurant stood up and raised their glasses and when they were all standing, they cheered in unison, “Happy Anniversary!” Carl and Ruby were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection shared in that moment.

They were often referred to as local celebrities. They were well loved and appreciated by all who knew them. Carl was the local sheriff and the high school football coach, and Ruby had worked at the local paper since her internship following her college graduation in journalism. They were well known for their acts of kindness and dedicated philanthropic endeavors.

Three weeks before their trip to France they received some devastating news. Ruby’s recent checkup had revealed an aggressive cancer and she needed to be treated straight away. So, they put their travel plans on hold and concentrated on getting Ruby well. News travels fast in a small town and people were volunteering to make meals, take care of their home and garden and sit with Ruby while she underwent her treatments. Carl still had to work so it was nice to know she had someone with her when she was at the hospital.

Her treatments were challenging to say the least and there were days when Ruby could barely walk. After each treatment she would arrive home and immediately collapse on the couch. Someone would comfort her and be with her until she fell asleep. One afternoon she awoke on the couch covered in a warm quilt. It was soft and smelled like lavender. She found a card on the table by the couch. It read, “dearest Ruby, we love you so much and we are praying every day for your recovery. Your quilt is made from fabric squares donated by many of the local residents. We hope it will keep you warm and comfortable as you fight and win your battle.” Ruby was feeling blessed and soon had wrapped herself in the quilt like a baby in swaddling clothes. She could feel the love emanating from the quilt and it felt ethereal in a way she could not describe.

Ruby had her quilt with her for every treatment and snuggled under it when she came home. On the “ring the bell” day she draped it around her shoulders as she rang the bell to declare her last treatment was complete. She even took it with her the following week when she went in for a visit to her oncologist.

The Doctor admired the handiwork and she beamed with joy as she told him how it was made. The doctor stated he had great news to share, the cancer was gone! He called it quite miraculous, as he explained that he had never seen anything like it. Carl and Ruby hugged the
doctor and thanked him. He reassured them one more time as they were leaving, by saying, “there is no cancer in her body anywhere”. They left the office crying happy tears. Ruby felt better than she had in years.

The first thing they did when they got home was call to schedule their flight to France. Ruby carried her quilt with her on the plane. She and Carl draped it over their legs as they settled in for their flight. As they watched people boarding and finding their seats, they noticed a young man wearing a woolen cap and struggling to get his backpack into the overhead storage compartment. Ruby had seen plenty of people wearing those caps during her treatments. It was apparent he was ill, Carl stood up and helped him put his backpack in place. The young man thanked him and introduced himself as Liam.

During the flight they all chatted and shared contact information. They learned about his life,
his illness and much more. After they landed Carl, Ruby and Liam stayed on the plane until all of the passengers had disembarked. Carl grabbed Liam’s backpack and they all walked off of the plane together. As they were saying their goodbyes, Ruby wrapped her quilt around Liam’s shoulders and whispered, “return this to me when you are well.” She kissed him on the cheek, and she and Carl went one direction and Liam went the other.

Six months later Ruby answered the door to discover Liam standing on the step with the quilt folded in his arms.Was he cured? Yes, he was!