THREE RIVERS, Michigan — Spring birds. Nearby traffic. Church bells. There are some sounds that you recognize immediately.
And if you were at First Reformed Church in Three Rivers for an art show, there are other sounds you're about to.
"They say if they can't find me, they just listen," chuckled Ruth Stravers, her infectious laugh reverberating off the vaulted ceilings of the church.
Ruth, who just turned 97, still has a spring in her step. And a constant laugh in her voice.
“I have so much energy that I have to have something to do," she said, bouncing on her heels during the interview.
Like many her age, the idle hands of retirement led Ruth to search for a new hobby. She tried rug-making (it hurt her back) and chair-making (it hurt her pride), until she found a new love. Quilting has been her companion for over 30 years.
“I took off like a jet. It just lit a flame," she laughed. “Sometimes I get the idea in the middle of the night. And I wake up and I think I've got a creative idea and I get to work I get to play.”
That playing led her to First Reformed on a Friday in April. Coating every wall is Ruth's work from the past three decades.
"Everything you see I have done with these 10 fingers," she said. “This is partly an art show with a grandson. But it's also a birthday party. I said if you come to this, you don't have to come to my funeral.”
Next to Ruth's scenes of nature and comfort are realistic busts made by her sculptor grandson, Brent Harris.
"She's a fireball. For sure. Yeah, a lot of energy," he laughed.
He's been sculpting for 30 years, too. Unlike Ruth, the items on display are a culmination of just four years' work.
“I think they're different. But I think that still we can still find ways they work together with color and shape," said Brent. “Her work is very narrative driven. And so was mine. So, I liked that they're all telling stories.”
"When I saw her work, I was like, yeah, that needs to be out in the world. It's so beautiful," he smiled.
“They did all the work hanging them all," said Ruth, gesturing to her family. "So I just come and enjoy the hugs.”
That's when Ruth, surrounded by her life's work, became emotional.
"It made me cry. It's a lot. It's a lot to absorb," she said. “I wondered if this was my swan song."
A swan song to a life well lived, is best celebrated with your flock. Lucky that mother goose has so many ducklings: four children, 12 grandchildren,18 great grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren.
"My mother believes anything is possible," said Mary Doezema, one of her daughters, who owns the church. "You could be 97 and host a whole art show and keep making more beautiful stuff.”
Ruth works without a pattern, in art and in life. That makes both one of a kind.
"She's not ordinary. She's not practical. She's got a wild side to her," said Mary. "Every time I get too tired, I remember how lucky we are, that she's so vibrant. And she can't sleep because she's still thinking in colors and ideas.”
“Typical 96 year olds, many of them are lonely. And my parents are not lonely. A lot of people love them. Because they give love back," said Mary, gesturing to the crowd forming around her in the exhibit.
The birds chirp, traffic buzzes and bells toll. But only one sound echoes off the walls holding her life’s work. A laugh like no other — from a woman, just the same.
"What more could you ask for?" said Ruth, still chuckling, "I’m blessed.”
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