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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…

Tattytiara wrote:“Given so many Amish (my family and myself included) hate the sound of someone crunching” Now there’s something I’d never thought of as a cultural trait!Very astute observation, Tatty! That did have to slip out, didn’t it? I don’t know how widespread the dislike for crunching is among the Amish, but I can tell…

Botanist wrote:That’s interesting, Saloma. I’ve not heard of the superstitions regarding knives/scissors, birds, or thunder before, but all the others are familiar and I think very widespread. They are certainly common superstitions in Britain, and clearly not unique to the Amish. What intrigues me, though, is to ask how the concept of “luck” squares with…

Elin wrote: There are times when the modern world seems a bit too much that I think that perhaps one would have been better off amish or born in the past. But then I start thinking about all the hard work. electric stove within minutes. I am not one that needs a lot of of…