On my drive to church this beautiful morning I passed scattered groups of Amish men, women and children, all dressed in Sunday best, walking the backroads of Lancaster County to the homes of fellow churchmembers where the day’s service would be held. Suddenly, a raunchy red pickup containing a pair of suspiciously Amish-looking ‘hatted’ silhouettes pulled out in front of me and sped off ahead. …
Day Two in Holmes County was a great one. I had a chance to catch up with a lot of Amish friends and acquaintances. I sat for an hour and a half having a nice chat with one friend, ‘Johnnie’, who just had his fifth child (all girls!). He gave me a bottle of homemade blackberry wine to take away. He, like many Amish, appreciates…
‘Be friendly to all and a burden to no one. Live holy before God; before yourself, moderately; before your neighbors, honestly. Let your life be modest and reserved, your manner courteous, your admonitions friendly, your forgiveness willing, your promises true, your speech wise, and share gladly the bounties you receive.’ Source: Rules of a Godly Life, cited in Amish Roots, John A. Hostetler
Sometimes, as serious adults, we miss the joy to be found in the simple things. Children are good at showing us what we’re missing. A great shot of some Amish kids, back when snow meant fun, not hassle.
A few years ago a great book was published, entitled The Amish In Their Own Words, edited by Brad Igou of Amish Country News. Brad combed through 25 years of Amish writings in Family Life magazine, putting together a collection of Amish wisdom, history, and explanations of why they do the things they do, all written from an Old Order standpoint. If you’ve ever wondered…