I am so grateful to have eight years of Ruby’s Reflections to look back on. I remember most of the stories Ruby shared in her very own column, but every once in a while, one comes as a surprise, making me realize how quickly we can forget the small, everyday things after we lose a loved one. It’s one of the many reasons why I encourage people to journal after they lose a cat and write down as many memories as they can. Much as we like to think we’ll always remember, memories fade over time, and capturing them while they’re fresh in our minds is a precious gift to ourselves.
Today’s memory goes back to 2018, when I got an email from a mathematician in Austria who was working on a paper titled “Automated reasoning in elementary geometry: towards inquiry learning.” He found the photo above of Ruby on a ladder during a Google search, and asked Mom for permission to use it in his paper.
Of course, Ruby thought that was incredibly cool, because, as she wrote, “it has to do with being smart, and with helping mankind, and contributing to the greater good!”
Click here to read Ruby’s Reflections: Contributing to Science.
