This and That Tuesday

Today we have a wonderfully sunny day in Western Massachusetts. I am pausing in my holiday preparations to post some thoughts. Last week, David and I were lingering in the kitchen over tea and coffee around 9:00 in the morning. My eyes were drawn to a huge bird, flying just above the baseball field, out…

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This and That Thursday and a Giveaway

There are many things I am grateful for today, and so I am offering a Christmas giveaway of my memoir, Why I Left the Amish and a one of my fabric reusable gift bags to go with it. First of all, I am grateful to all of you for visiting my blog. I know how…

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Answering the Final Questions

Courtney asked several questions.  I will insert my answers in between each question.   Who are considered elders? Is it just the ministers/deacon/bishop?  Courtney, you are correct: teach church district usually has one bishop, two ministers, and a deacon. Together, they are the elders of the church. And I'm curious about different styles of buggies.…

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More Answers to Your Questions

Sara asked: If you could change one thing about your leaving, what would it be?   Sara, this is a difficult question, partly because I don't know if you mean the things I could have changed, or what circumstances I wish would have been different. So, I will answer this in two parts. I don't think…

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More Answers to Your Questions

Tonight I will answer a few more questions that were asked on my blog in early October.   Nancy asked: I would love a chance to read your book. What do you think is the percentage of Amish who decide to leave the order? Nancy, I am going to refer you to the Amish Studies website…

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Leaving a Legacy, Revisited

Ever so long ago, I asked for your questions, and I have not gotten around to answering them. Tonight I will begin the process of answering these, one or a few at a time. The first was posted by Kiley. When you had your children, did/do they have a relationship with your family despite you…

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Forces Changing the Amish from within

The word “bizarre” has been used many times in describing the hair-cutting attacks that were allegedly orchestrated by Sam Mullet from Bergholz, Ohio. And for good reason — it is pretty bizarre. From what I’ve heard of Sam Mullet, and the little I’ve seen from videos such as this one, I’d say he is one…

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Blankets with a Cedar Smell

I was cold the other night, so I took our thick comforter out of the cedar chest and got under it. I was soon warm, but what I noticed first was the smell of the cedar transported me back to my childhood. In a flash, I was back in the cold upstairs of my childhood,…

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Announcements: Radio Interview and a Craft Show

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be on the radio. The first time I was interviewed was with Daria Fisk on a local radio station here in the Pioneer Valley soon after we moved here in 2008. Since then I’ve had about half a dozen interviews. I had one…

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Family in Kentucky and Ohio

During our recent trip back from Missouri, David and I got to see quite a bit of interesting landscape. It took us a while to grasp that we were seeing cotton fields when we were driving through southeastern Missouri. I had never seen a cotton field before. Here is a photo taken from the window…

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