About Gail Ruth
Gail Ruth Bayless, a very highly sensitive woman a bit past her half-century mark (is it suddenly hot in here?), is an artist, singer-songwriter, and writer. She has a master’s degree in psychiatric-mental health nursing and is licensed as a registered nurse.
She is happily married to her husband of 20-some years, Jeff, a Senior Fire Captain/Paramedic with the Anchorage Fire Department. They live surrounded by mountains in beautiful Palmer, Alaska, where she is Dawdler in Residence at The Dawdler’s Studio.
A Christian for most of her life, she began a decades-long search for a practical understanding of the grace of Jesus in Junior High School, when she was confounded by the first several chapters of Romans.
She is well-grounded in the scriptures and has received teaching from several widely-divergent streams of Christianity, including conservative fundamentalism, Catholic, Orthodox, Episcopal, Faith, Charismatic, Word & Power, Third Wave, etc. Dogmatically opposed to dogmatism (hmm . . . ?), she is in agreement with the matters of first importance as found in I Corinthians 15:3-8 and with the Nicene Creed.
In 2001 her life changed dramatically with an entirely off-her-grid six-week visitation by the Holy Spirit, who taught her at length about the kind heart of God and the grace of Jesus. This opened up a new world for her, and she spent the next several years in a consuming process of transformation and learning.
Under the Holy Spirit’s tutelage, she came to understand that what she’d long viewed as her greatest thwarting defects were in fact greatly valued by Him. Later she learned these things were part of the trait of high sensitivity. He taught her much about her sensitivity and, over time, coached her in building better-fitting boundaries, encouraged her to live out of her heart, and led her to pursue a creative, rather than a professional, life.
Throughout her adult life, Gail Ruth has led a rich and varied life full of distinct seasons. Before her nursing career in hospital, home health, hospice, psych, etc., she had the privilege of working as a librarian, clown, Cinnamon Bear, cartographer, Alzheimers respite caregiver, and other sundry jobs.
Besides her creative ventures, she loves quiet mystic communion with her Creator and taking family walks in the Alaskan outdoors.
Most of all, she is in love with Jesus. And He dotes on her, because of grace.
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Hello. My sister Sue, from N.Y. sent me your link. I live in Palmer Alaska. This is a really interesting thing you are doing. How Cool!!! I am the mother of two. One of my children, Shane Woods, was killed in Iraq in 2006. Sue said you were at his funeral. Thank you for that. I am a person who has tasted and known how good Jesus is. He has been a faithful friend!