A bit of good news lost in the mix over the holidays, and maybe appropriate to share here on New Year's Day. About a week ago I received word that my friend Abe, whom I've mentioned in the past on the blog, has just become a father for the third time, this one a boy like the previous two. Abe, who is a produce grower…
With an average of around seven children, Amish families are hefty by modern standards. Farm families tend to be the biggest. A dozen or more children is not rare. But the largest Amish family ever? Read on to learn about one possibility: John Troyer, who lived near Kokomo, Indiana, had an unusually large family, perhaps the largest of all time among the Amish or Mennonites. …
‘It sure is a hard emotional read. To see forgiveness layed out (sic) in such clinical terms while for us it is just a gut feeling…I was glad to see how you stressed that we also are human and struggle with this issue on a daily basis. The thought came to mind that this generation can not claim credit for our attitude on forgiveness beings…
I just got nice news from Lancaster County–my harmonica-playing friend Abe is a father again. Looks like little Elam got a new brother last Friday. When I visited last month, I knew Sarah was pregnant, but I did not realize the baby would be due so soon. When Amish have children, many opt to deliver in the hospital, especially if it’s a first child. Others…
Amish school gets the job done. At the same time, the kids have a blast. After hearing about some of the stuff they get to do, I think I’m ready to re-enroll in fifth grade. On Friday Daniel and Mary’s kids had a spelling quiz (not fun), and made gingerbread houses (fun and tasty). An excited Lizzie described an unfortunate scooter collision on the way…
Well, despite the inclement weather, I managed to get up to Lancaster County and to my friends ‘Daniel’ and ‘Mary’, where I’ll be staying the next few days. The last hour-and-a-half or so, from the PA line onward, was pretty hairy, as snow and ice accumulation made driving tricky. I pulled in late Tuesday night to Daniel’s, happy and relieved to see the kitchen gas-lamp…
One thing that I admire about the Amish is the value they place in maintaining a spirit of humility. When the idea comes up in conversation that the Amish are getting something right—for example, by the way that they live or the values they profess and adhere to–they are usually quick to deflect attention, reminding that ‘human nature is universal’, or that ‘we’re human too.’ …
Driving the backroads of Amish America you find yourself passing the horse-and-buggy in miniature, with little Amish pilots egging on their diminutive yet sturdy ponies, whipping across front yards or up the shoulder and down to the neighbor’s, perhaps to collect a missing ingredient for the casserole mom is working on back at home. Photo:Â Randall Persing The pony cart serves a useful function in…
Today marks a year since the Nickel Mines School shooting. Ten girls were shot. Five perished. Five lived on. A community was rocked by an unthinkable loss. The world watched and learned a rare lesson in forgiveness and grace. ‘The happening’ is the name local Amish attached to the event, and The Happening is author Harvey Yoder’s attempt to reconstruct, order, and make sense of…
I dropped in on Safety Days today, held at the Mount Hope Auction yards. Most of the hundreds in attendance were Amish. People slowly filed by educational booths promoting early learning, fire safety, and eye care. One fireman admonished listeners to ‘label their liquids’ since children could not tell the difference between potables and more lethal liquids such as kero or diesel. Besides the useful…