Amish Youth Snowball Fight (10 Photos)
You’re never too old to throw a snowball, right?
I’m 36, and I’ll confess to tossing a few earlier this winter, so I hope not 🙂 .
On the lighter side of things, the photos here are from a snowball fight that broke out among Amish youth somewhere in northern Indiana.
The photographer writes: “A youth was joining church today in our district and there were a number of other youth visiting.”
“A snowball fight ensued on their walk past our house.”
The standoff.
Later, two turn on the jets.
The guy in front here must have given the other a good reason to chase him. By the looks of the photos it goes on for a while.
On a recent flight into snow-covered Chicago, the passenger next to me admitted he’d never seen snow before (he was from Saudi Arabia).
He was eagerly looking forward to his first experience with the fluffy white stuff. No doubt he would be one of the few adults in the entire city that day happy to see it.
As tired of snow (or really, any everyday nuisance) as we might become, there are always two ways of looking at things.
In short, when life gives you snow, make snowballs.
Ah …
… as a former associate pastor at a church where I used to work said, “Jovenes estarán jovenes”: “Young people will be young people!”
Of course, he was saying it to explain why we needed adult volunteers to act as chaperones at the overnight Confirmation retreat, but I think it fits right in with a snowball fight on a day when a young person is being baptized into the Church.
I may be dense and/or irreverent, but it never occurred to me that the youth’s free social time while walking home should be regulated to prevent a snowball fight, even on a day when someone happened to be baptized (however I just assumed this was after church due to the lighting in some of the photos…on the way to church, yes maybe they should be focusing on getting there on time).
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen married Amish adults participating with youth in sports activities on Sunday, be it joining in the standard youth volleyball game or helping younger children play softball in the backyard.
Tossing a snowball as long as no one gets hurt (“iceballs” a no-no 🙂 ) is a playful respite in an otherwise dreary winter. And given the alternatives, I’m going to guess some parents would be glad if this was the worst these guys get into.
Just for the record, I probably ought to mention that no creature was harmed in my own recent snowball skirmish, and all parties were willing participants 🙂
Erik, I think you picked up disapproval where there was none.
There’s nothing inherently irreverent about “young people being young people,” nor inherently scolding about noting how they are. Part of the joy of ministering to people just starting out on life’s journey is being around their energy and enthusiasm.
As an adult responsible for their formation, you sometimes have to be the “bad guy” who reminds them it’s time to put down the snowballs and go into church, or who orders them to get some sleep on a gymnasium floor so they’ll be alert for their retreat activities the next day, but inside, those adults are smiling and thinking “Ah, to be young again!”
I’m sorry I misinterpreted, Trish. Well put, and I’d of course agree that if this was on the way to church and made them late, well that’s not so good.
I did enjoy the sequence that unfolds in these photos, I guess because it reminded me of similar (albeit rare in central NC) snowball fights growing up. To be young again indeed. I guess I can still get away with tossing a snowball or two here and there.
On a related note, I just got off the phone with a friend in Lancaster County, and he mentioned that they got a foot of snow. I plan to go up next week, so maybe I’ll have a follow-up to this post 🙂
Fun
Everybody loves to have some snow fun
For some reason, this article brought back memories of this past summer. No, it wasn’t snowing, but this 65 year old lady decided it would be fun to roll down the hill like I did as a child. And it was fun…truly it was! I laid down on my side, crossed my arms over my body and off I went! Freedom, joy, childhood were all mine. And then I hit the bottom. Now before I started this endeavor, I should have thought about the flood we had had two days before. Of course, I didn’t, but I remembered it as I landed in the soggy ground at the bottom of the hill! I was soaked clear through my, well, you get the picture! It was not a pretty sight seeing this old lady, soaked to the bone, trying to fight her dizziness to climb back up the hill! Do I regret it…not on your life! So Eric, you are never too old to have fun!
Well done :)
Harriet thanks for sharing this story. It left me with a very funny mental image.
It also reminded me of an old adage we used to say at work, which went something like “We should take what we do seriously, but not take ourselves so seriously.”
I guess that’s another way of saying it’s healthy to be able to laugh at ourselves. Thanks for reminding me of that old favorite 🙂
You know something “serious” is going on when their hats come off as they run!! 🙂
Makes me miss a good snowball fight, building snow forts, sledding and all those winter things. Why did my snowball fights inevitably end with someone throwing ice?! (not me! ha!)
I love that picture where both feet of both boys are off the ground! That’s a fantastic shot!
I thought so too. Reminded me of some of those floating horse photos 🙂
Fun on a wintry day (as I type this observation, it’s in the upper 40’s & the snow is melting…YAY!).
Being dressed almost identically, I couldn’t help but think “You can’t tell the players without a score card.”
This post was a smile-inducer! Thanks! 🙂
Alice Mary