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A Time for Reflection and Renewal
This morning David kissed me awake and wished me a happy birthday. Yesterday was his, and we took the day off from working so hard to reflect on the new beginnings on our horizon and to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. A few minutes later when I really awoke, I was hit with the…
Read MoreAn Anabaptist Ecumenical Hymn Sing
This morning it came to my attention in three different ways of the article in Lancaster Online article about the recent hymn sing in which different Anabaptist groups sang their songs. You can hear songs from all of the groups: The Amish, The Old Order River Brethren, Groffdale Mennonite Conference, Weaverland Mennonite Conference, and the…
Read MoreEnergy Efficient Home for Sale in Sunderland, Massachusetts
David and I have been busily preparing our home for sale. Yesterday was the big day… our open house. In the last few weeks, we (mostly David) finished installing and painting the woodwork in the back entrance, scraped the side of the garage of lead paint and repainted it, put up part of the siding…
Read MoreAbuse Among the Amish: And what about the Innocent Victims?
Ever since I exposed the sexual abuse I endured as a child by publishing my book, Why I Left the Amish, I have been asked repeatedly, “how prevalent is abuse among the Amish?” I’ve always answered that there is no way to know. One would have to be a fly on the wall in every…
Read MoreFlowers are Blooming!
Spring has finally arrived in all its glory in the Northeast: trees are leafing out, flowers are blooming, the temperatures are spring-like, and best of all, there is no snow in sight! Hooray, Hurrah, Hooray! Last week, our crocuses bloomed, while there was still a big, dirty pile of snow across the street in the…
Read MoreDispelling the Winter Blahs
Because of our extended winter here in the Northeast, I’ve been coming up with ways of surviving until Spring finally shows her beautiful face. Over the years I’ve come up with different strategies for getting through the month of March. This year, David and I have been playing a lot of “Settlers of Catan.” In…
Read MoreBirthplace of the Schleitheim Confession
In February 2015, I wrote a blog post about Michael Sattler, one of the thought leaders of the Swiss Brethren after reading Arnold C. Snyder’s book, The Life and Thought of Michael Sattler. He is credited for having authored the Schleitheim Confession in 1527, which is the first known documentation of the beliefs of the…
Read MoreAnother Anabaptist Hideout
Yesterday it was a month ago that I returned from my trip to Switzerland. It is hard for me to believe it is only a month… it feels like it was eons ago! Before my memories of this pilgrimage fade much more, I want to write about two more visits to places of importance to…
Read MoreVisiting the Trachsalwald Castle
I will now be going back to the beginning of my Switzerland trip to the day that the Kochs and I visited the Trachsalwald Castle. It was what the Amish would call a dreab day. Drab and dreary is the closest translation in English. I didn’t mind it, actually. I felt it set a sombre…
Read MoreAnabaptist History Coming Alive
Before I left the Little House on the Farm, I went next door to say good-bye to Elizabeth and Martin. I felt I had made a good connection with them, and I was grateful for the information Elizabeth shared about the history of their farm, Hockboden, as it has been called for centuries. Just before…
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