Ruth returned home with arms full of barley.
Naomi's eyes widened. "Where did you glean today? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!"
"His name is Boaz," Ruth said.
Naomi's heart skipped a beat. "The Lord bless him! That man is our close relative—one of our guardian-redeemers!"
Ruth smiled, exhausted yet hopeful. "He said I should stay in his field until the harvest is over."
And in Naomi's heart, once bitter and barren, something bloomed.
Perhaps… just perhaps… God had not forgotten them after all.