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How the Amish Came By their Name
On February 12, 1644, Michael Ammann and his wife Anna nee Rupp, had their infant son, Jakob, baptized in the village church in the town of Erlenbach in the Simmental Valley in the Canton of Bern. Jakob was their third child. They would have had no idea that their son would grow up and become…
Read MoreThe Golden Pass Line: Adventures in Switzerland
I always thought “Home Sweet Home” was a cliche. But when I finally walked through our kitchen door, it felt like my home was giving me an embrace. My mother used to say that the best part of going on a trip was coming home. I never understood that when I was growing up, because…
Read MoreAn Anabaptist Hideout
When I planned my trip to Switzerland, I was hoping to visit places important to Anabaptist history. In that, I have been quite successful — I’ve visited the Trachsalwald Castle, and the famous “Täuferversteck” (Anabaptist Hideout) in a barn above the town of Trub, known as the Fankhauser barn. I have also visited the first…
Read MoreLife in the Emmental Valley
Being in The Emmental Valley, sitting inside an open window breathing in the fresh mountain air and hearing the birds singing in the pines while Miriam, Hadassah, and Baby Michael David are sleeping is like waking up from a beautiful dream to find out it’s real. I feel truly blessed to be here at the…
Read MoreUpcoming Adventures in Switzerland
Back in 2014, I introduced the Koch Family in Switzerland — Miriam, Marco, and Hadassah. They now have a new addition to their family. Little Michael David is almost six months old. The Kochs came to visit us in May 2015, which I also wrote about on my blog. That is when David and I…
Read MoreAnnouncing the Winners…
Thank you all who commented on my blog last week with the offer of a three-book giveaway of Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman’s Ties to Two Worlds. I put all your names in a bowl and had David choose three names randomly. They are: Stacy Lizzie Hershberger Tanya Delahoz Congratulations to all three of you!…
Read MoreMile Mark and Free Giveaway of “Bonnet Strings”
Three Book Giveaway of Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman’s Ties to Two Worlds See below for the details Before the instant world of the internet, it was harder for authors to know who was reading their books, or how the readers liked what they were reading. If print newspapers wrote reviews, it was a good…
Read MoreChristmas Wishes from Our Home to Yours
Life has been full here in the Furlong household. With all that we have going on, we thought about not putting up a tree this year. But I so look forward to that every year, given that I was deprived of the beauty of Christmas trees in our Amish home. I like every part of…
Read MoreCan this Be Happening in Obama’s America?
Where have I been these past months? Apparently I have been anesthetized by the shenanigans of the election. Today I became aware of a report of Native People in North Dakota getting hit by water cannons in frigid temperatures as they were protesting the installment of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Then I also saw…
Read MoreThe Beauty of Nature
Once in a while my heart swells with gratitude for the beauty I see in nature. The other night, I was making dinner when David and I both noticed the gorgeous sunset. I quickly ran for my camera and took several shots, first from the porch, and then from the attic window. Sunset from my…
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