Posts by Saloma Furlong
Prayers for Jolina Petersheim and Family
I have a fellow writer friend, named Jolina Petersheim, who has written two books, The Outcast and The Midwife. She writes beautifully, she is young and attractive, she has a loving husband and two little girls — a toddler and a baby. Her faith is evident in everything she writes. Jolina's life was the kind…
Read MoreHealing Thoughts
Our older son, Paul's best friend is named Ben. They have known one another since they were in Kindergarten. Ben became like a third son to David and me, and Paul became a second son to Ben's parents. Growing up, Paul and Ben were inseparable. Ben and Paul were names that just slid off our…
Read MoreSeparate from the World but not the Law
I wrote a piece about the Sam Mullet case that was printed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer today. I hope you'll click over there to read it and leave a comment. I will respond to the comments there as well as here. Here is an excerpt: It comes as no surprise that Sam Mullet has…
Read MoreSwinging into Spring
With weather predictions of temperatures in the 40s (at least while the sun shines) this week, it looks like we will finally get a break from the winter weather. And today is the beginning of an extra hour of light at the end of the day, so that will help with lengthening the daytime hours.…
Read MoreIs Sam Mullet Outside both the Law and Age-Old Amish Traditions?
Sam Mullet, leader of the Amish in Bergholz, Ohio, is hoping to gain his freedom tomorrow, Monday, March 2, when a federal judge will re-sentence 16 defendants following an appeals court's decision to overturn their hate-crime convictions last August in the case that involved attacks on other Amish. The victims asked for help because their…
Read MoreWind Chill Factor
It feels like this winter has already lasted eons, and yet there is no end in sight. This is the fourth weekend in a row that we've gotten a snowstorm. Tonight the wind is whirling around the corners of the house again, trying to find a way in. The windchill factor is -28 degrees. Did…
Read MoreAmish and Sixteenth-Century Anabaptist Thought
I just finished reading the book The Life and Thought of Michael Sattler by C. Arnold Snyder. This is a scholarly book, and dense at times, but I feel I have gotten a better understanding of who Michael Sattler was and what contributions he made to Anabaptist thought and consequently to the Amish ways that…
Read MoreAmish Winter Breakfasts
Back on the farmette where I grew up, we used to have hearty breakfasts, especially on wintery mornings. Mem used to get up early in the mornings to get the fires burning, so that when everyone else got up, the house was warm. And that was important because those of us who slept upstairs slept…
Read MoreBlindsided by a Blizzard
Today I've been battening down the hatches for the epic winter storm that is predicted to hit us, starting tonight and lasting until Wednesday morning. Like everyone else, I bought groceries that will sustain us if our power goes out. I've boiled eggs, made tapioca pudding, and filled containers with drinking water. We will likely…
Read MoreBe Thou My Vision
My friend, Joan Z. Rough, asked a question on her blog today that triggered an unexpected response from me, and I realized I needed to share here on my blog what I discovered by answering her question. She had asked, "If you have intentions for the next ten minutes, this coming year, or for the…
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