Posts by Saloma Furlong

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…

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…

By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired. ~ Franz Kafka More than ten years ago, I began writing down my childhood memories. That was before I learned how to craft my writing. My first versions read much like a diary.…

Yanina asked: “What are the Amish beliefs in modern medicine? For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions. Do the Amish have similar beliefs? How about mental illness or an illness like ADHD?” These are great questions. The Amish religion does not take a position against modern medicine. They allow blood transfusions, open…

Anonymous asked: “What were your Amish teen years like?” In a word — tumultuous. Do teenagers go through adolescence, even though they don’t know what it is? When I was in my teen years, I had no idea that it was “normal” to have such a difficult time getting along with my mother. I kept…

Anonymous asked: Are Amish dresses uncomfortable? Simply put — yes. At least the women’s dresses are. They got more so when polyester fabrics became available. The Amish women couldn’t resist the no-iron option, so polyester was in vogue when I was in my late teens. In the summertime, it was like being pinned into a…