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Thank you everyone who answered my questions last week. I found them very interesting. Christine, that is a good point that people are reading the Amish fiction for their “wholesome” qualities, and also that people are not necessarily going to change their views of the Amish, even with “data” to the contrary. Gumbo Soul, thank you very…

Peter wrote: thanks for your thoughts, maybe I will talk to the Humanities Council about changing the book. I have also been reading Sue Bender's book book, 'Plain and Simple.' Do you have any thoughts on her work? Some years ago, my mother gave me some advice when she found out that I was writing and…

Peter wrote:Hello Saloma,I saw your presentation on Saturday at the library in williston. I came in part because in a week and a half I will be leading a discussion about ‘Blood of the Prodigal’ by P. L. Gaus. The discussion is sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council. I know you mentioned some of the…

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~ Anne BradstreetThe Amish summed up in one word the description for grey, drizzly, dreary days. Their word is “dreab.” Doesn’t that just about say it right?I don’t do…

Shirley wrote:…if you have not done so already, I’d love to hear about the theology of salvation preached from the pulpit. Much of what I heard from the Amish “pulpit” or rather from the doorways in homes where church gatherings took place, was not not so much “theological” in nature as it was admonishments for how…

Just when I thought I could not sit a moment longer, the deacon brought in a jug and round loaves of bread. He placed them on a table. Then Bishop Dan asked us all to rise. He talked about the bread in a solemn tone: “First, in the spring, the ground is prepared. Then the seed…

Around the time of the story of Abraham and Isaac, I leaned my elbows on my knees and put my head down and thought about how I would rather be out in our “autumn woods” on a walk. My sisters and I had different parts of the woods surrounding our house that we would take…

The seasons have a way of triggering memories of my long-ago life among the Amish. In the spring and fall, I often remember what it was like to attend Communion Services in my original community. I was just recalling some of the details of these to David today. At the risk of treading on Amish “sacred…

Shirley wrote: Enjoyed this conversation very much. It leads me to another question. Do you recall conversations that you would call “theological” in nature such as free will, eternal salvation, etc.? Or was most of the conversation among the Amish about practical matters–weather, crops, family, church issues? Were men or women more likely to engage…