Posts by Saloma Furlong
Another Authentic Anabaptist Voice
Shirley Showalter grew up on a Mennonite farm in Pennsylvania. Her parents recognized that her intellectual curiosity could not be squelched, so they supported her in acquiring a college education. She started her academic career at Eastern Mennonite College (now Eastern Mennonite University). These are down-home beginnings for someone who has accomplished so much in…
Read MoreWearing Amish
Wearing Amish the day of my sister’s wedding I have been writing my book lately, and so I have been remiss in posting new material here. I am happy to report that I have finished getting this part of my story on paper. Now three people are reading it and will give me their honest…
Read MoreOn Magic Wings
Candelin Wahl with a pink dogwood in the background I am so grateful for friends. My friend, Candelin Wahl, came to visit me and stayed for two days. Our friendship goes back a long way. We met when we were going to the same church. We were twelve months pregnant between the two of us…
Read MoreDo Amish People Resent Tourists?
Recently Fran Shultis asked a very good question about vacationing in Amish country. I will answer this to the best of my ability. Here’s her question: Saloma, my family and I are going on an overnight vacation to Amish territory this Spring. In many ways I feel like an intruder because I know the Amish…
Read MoreWeekend Sunrise in Australia
Several nights ago, I heard a “ding” on my computer that signaled that I have an email coming in. I opened it and nearly swallowed my gum… it was from someone who was inviting me to be on an Australian television program called Weekend Sunrise. Over the next few days I got the details… I…
Read MoreReview of “Thrill of the Chaste” by Valerie Weaver-Zercher
I recently was given a copy of the book Thrill of the Chasteby Valerie Weaver-Zercher, in exchange for visiting one of Dr. Donald Kraybill’s classes. I had known that Weaver-Zercher was studying Amish romance novels, so I looked forward to this publication, for I want to understand the reason for so much interest in…
Read MoreFrom an Amish Farm to Du Pont Children’s Hospital
Stories are powerful. They help us find connections with one another. I have just found that connection with someone in a whole different walk of life. He is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Du Pont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. After he received his Bachelors at the University of Colorado, he entered medical school (also at…
Read MoreTo Leave is to Forgo…
Today I received an email from my blogger friend, Tom, who writes the blog The Backroads Traveller. He kindly shared with me a link to an article on Yahoo News about women who leave “extreme faiths.” As I read through the article with interest, I was amazed how much the issues were parallel to the…
Read MoreTo Stay or Leave?
I was doing some perusing of websites tonight that are administrated or written by former Amish people. Once I started reading “Letters to and from Former Amish” by the Mission to Amish People website, I could not stop reading. I was pulled into the intensity of the letters. First there is a letter from someone who…
Read MoreNo Sorrow without Joy
When I was growing up, we learned a poem in school entitled, "What God hath not Promised." One of the lines is "God hath not promised joy without sorrow." This is so true. Life is often about struggles. But as I have discovered this week, the reverse is also true. We do not have to…
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