Meet Ruth

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ruth a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ruth, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I think I have gotten my resilience from a long line of people in my family who have endured unspeakable things. My grandparents survived the Armenian/Turkish genocide of 1915. They met in an orphanage that was administrated by missionaries from a German Lutheran Church. They knew poverty, illness, hunger. And I know so little because they never wanted to talk about what their experiences were, likely because they were too horrible.

They knew loss and death. They knew sickness and lack. When my dad came to this country from Beirut, Lebanon, he brought his parents with him, seeking medical help for his mother. Sadly, it was too late to do any meaningful intervention that would prolong her life. My grandfather almost perished because of this significant loss. He even wanted to run into the gravesite so he could be with her when she was buried. Seems like he felt his life was over.

However, my sister was born shortly after my grandmother’s death and that brought renewed hope to my grandfather. He lived with us for many years before he ventured out on his own. When my dad could no longer care for him, he was brought to a nursing type of home to live out his final days.

I was desperate to hold on to something of him before he passed so I decided to do an interview with him in Armenian/English. One question I asked burned an indelible thought into my mind and heart. I asked him what was the hardest thing he ever had to learn. His answer?

Perseverance. Endurance. To survive and even thrive even though things were difficult. I think this spirit of resilience was passed on to me. And I am grateful for it.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I like variety and I get to do a lot of cool things. I have a couple of music therapy clients and a number of piano/music students that I see weekly. I enjoy sharing the gift of music and consider music to have been one of my first best friends.

I also host a radio show called, “Ravings and Cravings.” You can find it on the YouTube channel for WILI radio. In this time slot weekly, I talk with chefs, restauranteurs, farmers, kitchen installers, Canine handlers (what does your dog eat to stay healthy?), award winning business owners and all things food, basically. I have been doing this weekly for over two years now. Its been a fun run.

In addition, I am a Campus Ministry Staff with International Students, Inc. based out of Colorado Springs but locally at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. I spend a lot of time with international friends, students and families and do life and faith with them. It is a very life-giving role that I cherish deeply.

I’ve been a part of a lot of things locally where I live and have enjoyed living in Connecticut, even though I hail from Wisconsin. 🙂

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities?

Faith has to be one. When I am ready to give up, I can count on my faith in Christ to get me over the hump of quitting. Over and over again, this is my reality.

Another quality that keeps me going is this thing of gratitude. When I look at life from a lens of gratefulness, I complain less, I am more at peace and I learn to be content with what I have and who I am. Make no mistake, though. This does not give me permission to be lazy or slothful in my own personal growth. It inspires me.

Lastly, I believe having margins to think, process, relax are important. When I say margins I mean pockets of time that are not filled to the gills with things to do, people to see, crammed with too much commitment. We all need time to breathe. It is how I am learning to care for myself, at the ripe old age of 64.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

This question is hard and easy to answer. I would have to say that growth in the area of forgiveness and seeing things rightly has been the biggest area of growth for me. There have been some very heart wrenching situations that have torn me apart, however, forgiveness has played a major role in helping me recover from these interpersonal challenges.

I would not say that I have arrived in this area. I would say that it is an area that requires ongoing arrivals…and even some departures of unhealthy ways of looking at things and people. My beliefs have been challenged and I am grateful for that.

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Lisa Nichols

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