Wild youth behavior is a reality for some English adolescents, and for a segment of Amish youth as well. Jim Cates returns with a look at those youth–some of whom soon find themselves in quite different circumstances. Not Your Mama’s Amish Long before Wal-Mart discovered that “Back in Black” was a catchy musical backdrop for its television ads, the youngie in Topeka, Indiana were regularly blasting…
What happens at an Amish funeral? In today’s post, Rebecca Miller shares an account of a funeral which took place in her community. Rebecca is a member of an Old Order Amish church in Holmes County, Ohio. She is a schoolteacher, and also works at the Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center (Berlin, OH). Over the past couple of months, Rebecca has kindly offered her knowledge of her…
A recent story on Vermont Public Radio suggests Amish are starting a new community in Vermont, a state with no other Amish presence. From the article on the Orleans County town of Brownington: At the other end of the village, Amish families are starting to move from Pennsylvania into this unlikely melting pot in the Northeast Kingdom. And: As you weave your way through tree-lined dirt…
We received dozens of questions in our recent “Ask an Amish Person” post, covering everything from gardening to child discipline to challenges and rewards of being Amish. Indiana Amishman Merlyn Yoder has responded to a good chunk–about 17 of them–below. We’re calling this “part 1” as I’m hoping we’ll receive further responses, if Merlyn’s schedule allows. But either way, a big thanks to Merlyn for his efforts here….
Did you know that a number of Amish call Maine home? Among the handful of settlements in the Pine Tree State are the Amish at Unity, Maine (Waldo County), an atypical group for several reasons. Everything I’ve heard about this community suggests it’s a nice little place with a few businesses and which seems to be quite friendly to outsiders (that of course is not what makes it unusual). All images…
Are you planning to visit an Amish community? What are some things to keep in mind when you go? In today’s post we look at five tips that you might find helpful. I realize people are in different situations–some of us have visited Amish communities many times, while others have not but may be planning to. This post assumes you are visiting as an outsider without…
More Than Happy: The Wisdom of Amish Parenting (by Serena Miller and Paul Stutzman) has actually been out a few months already. We took a brief look at this book in a previous post (“Are Amish Children Happier?“). I should say I’m not surprised to see a “how-to” book on Amish parenting. I’ve always thought this would be an attractive topic, given outsiders’ positive impression of…
I’ve been fortunate to spend up to two months at a time living in Amish homes. In my “regular life”, I don’t live anything like an Amish lifestyle. So that comes with both its challenges and blessings. Last week I wrote about the hardest things about living with the Amish. This week, as promised, let’s have a look at the five best things. The Five Best…
Jim Cates follows up last week’s post on income and material differences in Amish communities with part 2–on the challenges of making money, including the attraction of marketing schemes, and what happens when business deals go bad. Money…Is a Terrible Master The full quote actually goes “Money is in some respects life’s fire: it is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master.” No less an expert than…
Indiana Amishman Merlyn Yoder, who has contributed articles for us on the Ausbund, beekeeping, and being an example, has offered to answer questions you might have about Amish life. Here’s Merlyn’s bio again: Merlyn, his wife, and six children live in northern Indiana. He has a job in the RV industry and his hobbies include woodworking, working on engines, beekeeping, orcharding, and history. So feel free…