A modern reflective story inspired by Ruth in Ruth 1-3.
It was a beautiful day. The vineyards covered the rolling hills. It was early fall, and the leaves were still green, glistening in the sunlight. Italy was Sophie's homeland, but she yearned for a change. Her mother-in-law, Joan, a widow now, decided to return to her home in Montana.
Sophie always felt a deep connection to Joan. Her mind was made up; she would accompany Joan to the U.S.
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She had learned the basics of horse care, saddling horses, and how to ride. -- Image by Nicola Giordano from Pixabay
Everything they had was packed into a few suitcases. Sophie's family helped them out with some extra money to make the journey.
Sophie looked at her dad and mom, with tears of uncertainty, "I will pay you back as soon as I can. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
They hugged.
Sophie and Joan boarded the train to Rome.
In Rome, they made their way to the airport. After checking their bags, they went to the boarding area. Their flight to London was uneventful.
Both of them were very hungry. In an effort to save money, they did not pay for food. It was too expensive. They accepted any snack they could get on the flight to New York.
They arrived in New York as the sun was setting. Hunger got the best of them. They broke down and bought some food. After an all-night delay, they boarded the flight to Montana.
This was the last leg of the journey.
Joan's lifelong friend, Beth, picked them up at the airport. It was still September, and the crisp fall air was refreshing. In Montana, it was on the heels of winter. Sophie has never faced the kind of winter that Montana can bring. Beth, knowing they were tight on money, got them some winter clothes from the thrift store on her way to the airport.
For now, they accepted the offer to stay at Beth's house until they could find their own place.
With Beth's help, Sophie was able to get janitor work at the local school. Joan started helping Beth at her retail store. Joan kept telling Beth not to pay her; this was her way of paying back Beth. But, as only two old friends would do, Beth teased her about saving money to get out of her house. They both laughed.
Beth, through discussions with her friends, found an affordable place for Joan and Sophie to live. The tiny home was in town, and they could walk to their respective jobs.
Winter was setting in: snow, bitter cold, relentless wind, and a sky that seemed to go on forever. By January, the temperatures were below zero, and the roads were covered in ice and snow. Sophie never experienced this harsh weather, but quickly adapted to the winters of Montana.
Winter was starting to give way to Spring when Joan told Sophie about the Potato farms. It is seasonal, but she can earn a decent wage. The school job was evening work; she could work at the farm this spring. Except that they didn't have a car to get there.
A neighbor, whom they had befriended, asked them out of the blue if they needed a vehicle. The ladies were quite surprised at the question, but said yes. Some bartering, and an agreement was reached, and Sophie had a way to get to the farm.
Sophie drove out to the farm. The first person she saw, she asked, "Are you still hiring?"
The man, hardened by years of farm work, looked at her, "Yes, we are. What is your name?"
"Sophie"
"Well, nice to meet you, Sophie. I'm Jason. Where are you from?"
"Born and raised in Italy. Just wanted a new path and ended up here."
"Well, welcome. Head over to the office door and get yourself signed up. Our foreman, Dick, will take care of you. We start in about two weeks.
Remembering what Dick had told her, she layered up and put on the work boots before heading to work. While it was chilly outside, the long winter cold made it feel warm.
She drove out to the farm and found Dick. "Where do I start?"
Dick showed her the potato line and said, "All you need to do is pull out the rocks, toss them over there, and any bad potatoes, pull them, toss them in this bin."
She was introduced to one of the seasoned workers to help her recognize bad potatoes.
Sophie was tossing rocks like a champion. Quickly learned what potatoes to pull. She was enjoying the hard work.
Over the noise of the engines, conveyor belt, and bouncing potatoes, her potato mentor yelled to Sophie, "Careful, you just dumped some potatoes into the rock pile."
Sophie yelled back, "Sorry, I will do better."
Suddenly, the conveyor belt stopped, and everyone started to leave. She asked her mentor, "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's break time."
Sophie looked confused, "There's work to be done, I do not need a break yet!"
Her mentor replied, with a smile, "Come on, get some coffee and tell me about Italy."
The weeks were flying by. She was amazed at the number of semi-trucks that would get loaded up each day. Sophie used her lunch break to learn more about the process. Sometimes she would talk with the State Potato Inspector about his job.
Dick walked out of the cellar with one potato in hand and yelled, "The last potato, job well done!"
Everyone cheered loudly, except for Sophie, who wanted to keep working.
Dick noticed her bewildered look and called her over. He said, "You did an amazing job, hope we will see you this fall for harvest."
Sophie replied, "Absolutely, this was fun. Do you know of any other summer jobs I can work?"
"Yes, I do. My rancher buddy Jake, across the valley, is seeking assistance. Just so you know, it is mainly shoveling horse manure. Interested?"
"Yes, I just want to work. The school job ends next month for the summer."
Dick gave her the directions on how to get there. Also, she got her last paycheck. She was off on a new adventure.
The sun was setting, and she went home. Needed a short rest before heading off to clean toilets and mop floors.
She got up the next morning just after sunrise and headed off to the horse ranch.
She found Jake and asked, "Are you hiring?"
Jake replied, "Are you Sophie?"
"Yes, I am."
"Dick gave me raving reviews about your good work. Do you know what the job entails?
"All I know is, it involves shoveling manure in the horse stalls."
Jake laughed, "That is the main part of the job, you will tend to the pigs and chickens, too. My wife, Martha, will help you get settled in. We start early, just after daylight? Can you do that?
"Not a problem."
Every day, Sophie arrived before the sun was up over the mountains. Her only day off was Sunday. Usually around lunch, her job was done. Her desire to learn more was very active. Often, she would hang around the ranch and learn everything she could about horses.
As the summer blew by, she had learned the basics of horse care, saddling horses, and how to ride.
It finally happened. One Sunday, she wrote a letter home, something she did often. But this one was different. She put a check in the envelope, along with the letter. It felt good to repay her parents.
As the summer was ending and you could feel the fall air, Jake stopped her to talk to her.
He started, "Sophie, you are the best worker I have had in a long time. I want you to stay on, but Dick called asking if you can do the potato harvest this fall. We worked out a compromise if you are OK with it."
"I told Dick I would be back. What do you two have in mind?"
"You can work the harvest in the morning until mid-afternoon, then come here and work to sundown. I'll have work for you through the winter."
"Oh my, that would be awesome! Yes, I accept the terms. Thank you."
The harvest started near the end of August and will continue until the first part of October. Sophie almost never missed a shift at either location.
Often, Dick would let Sophie take a few potatoes home. Martha, out at the ranch, would give her vegetables and eggs each week. It was their way of thanking her for the fantastic work she does.
Dick had Sophie stay a little longer to help clean up the equipment and get things ready for winter.
She was resting at the picnic table before she headed off to Jake's place.
Jason walked up and asked if it was ok to join her for a bit. She said yes.
Jason said, "I have watched you work here, and you do fantastic work. I talk to Jake all the time. He could not stop raving about your amazing work, work ethic, and integrity. I just wanted to tell you how happy we are to have you here."
"Thank you, I've grown to love it here. It feels like home."
Sophie paused. "If I may ask, what is your role here?"
Jason laughed, "Can you keep a secret?
"Yes."
"Good. I have the worst job of all. I run the entire dadburn farm."
She busted out laughing, "You can count on me not to tell anyone." She winks at him.
Jason continued, "Now, I would like to ask you a question. You are always working. I don't see you doing anything fun. Why is that?"
She put her head down, "You see, my late husband was born and raised in Montana. He never got to take me here. He and my sister's husband were killed in an accident. When I started to work on your potato farm, I had a quest or thirst for knowledge. Working out at the ranch increased that thirst. I miss my husband and really have not thought about fun stuff."
"So sorry to hear that. I can understand it. My wife passed away nearly two years ago, and I still miss her. Don't be like me, get out there and enjoy the Montana lifestyle."
They both stood up at the same time. Sophie saw something in his eyes that she had not seen in a long time. Through the hardened skin of years of farming, there was a feeling of comfort in his eyes.
And in typical Sophie fashion and her "Get 'er done' attitude, she quipped, "Jason, do not be like yourself, get out there and enjoy life."
They laughed.
Sometimes the journey of a thousand miles begins with a shared laugh.
Base on Ruth 1-3
Synopsis:
After loss uproots her life, Sophie chooses commitment over convenience, following her widowed mother-in-law to Montana. Through unglamorous work and steady integrity, she builds stability one day at a time. Like Ruth, her faith is shown not in words, but in work that quietly opens a future.
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