Earlier I promised you a list of things that I believe are universal among all Amish. I could be surprised on any of these, as I was when I made discoveries while interning with Donald Kraybill. However, as far as I know, the following things are still true. Technology: All Amish have to decide how much technology they will accept. […]
Universals among the Amish Read More »
In my Amish community and family, Independence Day was thought of as a modern holiday. Given the Amish don’t consider themselves patriotic, it is not a big holiday. Even still, there is one Fourth of July that will remain in my memory forever. The weather was particularly hot and sultry for several days before the fourth. Then on this particular hot
Tornadoes on the Fourth of July Read More »
We are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language. ~Joyce Carol Oates Recently when I was going through family records, I found a copy of the pages that my mother and her siblings wrote about their memories of childhood. I remember vividly hearing my mother tell a story that happened when she was a small child, playing in
Intergenerational Memories Read More »
The clock just struck midnight. A year ago today, I was at my older sister Elizabeth’s bedside. She had just died a peaceful death at twenty minutes before midnight. She had lost her four-year battle with cancer. We all thought she still had several weeks to go… after all she had been sitting up and taking nourishment the night before.
Remembering a Sister Read More »
Susan J. Reinhardt wrote: “I find it surprising at the disparity between the Amish in various geographic areas. I’d always assumed the Lancaster Amish were representative of all the Amish communities.” I am still learning about just how diverse the various Amish communities are — and oftentimes in surprising ways. Having grown up Amish, I was aware that the style
Diversity among Amish Read More »
Yanina asked: “What do you think about the Beachy Amish?” and “I was recently in the Beachy Amish website and saw a picture of an African American girl on it. How do the Old Order feel about people of different races and ethnicities?” Yanina, I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to answer your questions. About Beachy Amish: I don’t have
Amish and Beachy Amish Mennonites Read More »
