Her beloved husband, Mahlon, was dying of a lingering illness that had come upon him months earlier. She fought the sorrow and fear stirring in her. How would she live without Mahlon? She’d dreamed of living a long life with the man she loved, bearing his children, growing old with him. And now, she suffered watching him suffer. She grieved that there would never be children to carry on his name. But it was the new moon, and her mother was expecting her for her monthly visit. They would drink tea, eat the delicacies of her father’s table, and talk about family matters. Ruth dreaded this visit. She couldn’t keep her mind from her troubles. And she didn’t want to hear what her mother thought was the cause of them. Poor Naomi! How could her mother-in-law bear another loss? Fifteen years ago she’d lost her husband, Elimelech; and her younger son, Kilion, had died last spring. Would Naomi’s faith in the God of Israel continue to give her peace, or would she finally crumble beneath the crushing grief of losing her last son?
