Posts by Saloma Furlong
Creativity During the Pandemic
At long last, I am back writing for this blog. As I start out, I don’t yet know where this post is going, except to catch up on the last four months since I posted here. Like everyone, the pandemic has changed my world. So many things I held dear, such as getting together with…
Read MoreTo Sacrifice or not to Sacrifice
In my last post, I wrote about the attitude in some Amish communities regarding the refusal to change their traditions in response to the current pandemic. A few days later, several friends brought to my attention the article that appeared in the New York Times about the Amish in Holmes County Ohio rising to the…
Read MoreWe’re All in this Together
How do we gain perspective on the sudden changes that have been thrust upon us in the past month by the pandemic? This is the question that I’ve been asking myself, and it’s been preventing me from writing in my journal or on this blog. But then I realized one day, that being “in it”…
Read MoreWhen We Read the Signs
It has been three full, challenging, and rewarding weeks since last I wrote on this blog. The next day I started my new job as office manager at Park View Mennonite church. There are many, many details to learn, and I’m learning them as fast as I can, but I still have some ways to…
Read MoreChange in Amish Education? A Mennonite Ponzi Scheme, and a New Venture
I came across a story last night that I’m hoping is a sign that some Amish are beginning to think about educating their children through tenth grade instead of the traditional Amish eighth-grade education. The Elkhart Truth published an article about a bill passed in the Indiana House of Assembly that is helping to accommodate…
Read MoreAmish Man Sentenced to 38-76 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Abuse
On Friday David and I attended the sentencing of David Smucker in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, along with several other victim advocates. So often in court cases involving perpetrators among the Plain People, community members will show up in support of the perpetrator, leaving the victims feeling alone. We wanted to ensure this didn’t happen. This was…
Read MoreA Report Revealing Incest, Rape, Abuse, and Cover-Up in Amish Country
A recent article in Cosmopolitan Magazine by investigative reporter Sarah McClure, has given voice to those who have been sexually abused and silenced in Plain communities, and it has rocked the positions of “Amish defenders” as I call those who want to cling to the ideal image of the Amish. The article is graphic, which…
Read MoreThe Last Known Amish in Europe
Recently Pamela Lakits asked: “Why are there no more Amish in Europe? Could it have been possible that they all found their way to America? Did those left behind give up their faith and their way of living or were they imprisoned or put to death? In other words totally wiped out?” Before I answer…
Read MoreHappy New Decade!
I hope you have all had a good start for our new year and decade. David and I enjoyed our holidays, and I hope you did too. Our sons, Paul and Tim came to visit us, along with Tim’s girlfriend, Niina.We found the visit to be short, but meaningful. Our holidays are officially over after…
Read MoreA Parent’s Worst Nightmare
Last night I read a bizarre story that happened in upstate New York, near the Pennsylvania border. An Amish three-year-old leaned against an emergency window in the back of a minibus. The window opened and spilled the boy onto Interstate 81. He was found running along the side of the highway. He sustained bumps and…
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