I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their simple way of life. This is probably because there are quite a number of Amish communities in our area. When we visit our son, Greg, or daughter, Tessa, we invariable get behind a buggy of a family maybe heading home from Sunday services and visiting. Sometimes we are in a hurry and get a little irritated at the pace, but usually I reflect on what I am seeing. I first see danger. There are children in an open buggy on a busy highway! There is nothing to protect them if a car would come upon their buggy and not see them quickly enough. Then when my mind gets past that, I envy them. I envy their slow pace and closeness. I envy their exclusion of outside influences. Sometimes the often relentless wind is blowing and the temperatures are frigid. At times like that, I watch in wonder at how they live the life they do. Fascination.
Amish craftsmen built our barn quite a number of years ago. It took them two to three days. When they finished, there was no indication they had ever been there. The site was clean with no debris anywhere. Their workmanship was beyond compare.
There is a carpenter, Mose, who lives "right down the road" from Greg who made all of the cabinetry in his home. He also made much of the cabinetry in our daughter, Tessa's home. All high quality. Sometimes he got things wrong (he seems to have trouble following directions) but he always made good by it.
Mose and his young son, Jacob, also custom made a china cabinet for us. The workmanship is wonderful. We have spent time visiting with Mose and Jacob. Their pace is slow. We learned early on that when we visited Mose to check on the progress of our cabinet, we'd better plan on an hour or so to account for visiting time. It was always an interesting visit. I enjoyed watching his children working barefoot in their garden, or in other activities.
For a long time I've been following the blog, A Joyful Chaos,
A Joyful Chaos . Mary Ann writes about growing up Amish and her life after leaving the Amish community. If you aren't already reading her blog, give it a go. Hers is a very simple, easy to read, writing. A Joyful Chaos is hosting a giveaway of another blogger, Saloma, who left the Amish Community.
It appears the Amish life that Saloma escaped from was anything but ideal. You can read about her experiences and register for a giveaway of her new book,
Why I Left the Amish, About Amish. I'm looking forward to reading Saloma's blog and her book.
So, if you are interested in the Amish way of life, or just want a good read, check out these two blogs. You will be glad you did.
