Thursday, October 14, 2010

~Singing~

Singing is something that I have loved for as long as I can remember. From cute little children songs when I was a child to hymns and country songs and my favorite church songs as a teen. My days were filled with singing.

I looked forward to every other Sunday evening when the youth would gather at someone's house to spend two hours singing German hymns. It was great being able to sit and sing to your hearts content. As much as I loved singing the best part of the evening was the ride to and from the singing with LV.

For once I was glad that I didn't have an older brother otherwise I would not have been allowed to ride with LV. We both knew once John was old enough to join the youth our Sunday night drives would be over and determined to enjoy every minute of them until then.

The area we lived in had a lot of roads that provided short cuts to get from one Amish family to the next but we weren't about to use them. Instead we would choose the route that would take the longest and let the horse, Ridge walk slowly the whole time. We would often sing as we slowly made our way home.

One evening the singing was three miles away and we were looking forward to our ride home. We had already planned to take Arnold road which would add an additional mile and a half to our ride. However soon after the singing started LV's brother and family arrived and we knew they would see us turn off.

We left right after the singing was over and discussed what we were supposed to do since not only didn't we want to turn down that road if they saw us we wouldn't be able to let Ridge walk all the way home. We decided to let Ridge run like he used to and turn off at Camp Albryoca turn off our buggy lights and wait for his brother to pass and then take Arnold Road.

Urging Ridge to run a little faster we were happy to have no buggies in sight as we ducked into the camp and turned off the lights. I hardly dared to breathe as we waited quietly for his brother to pass. A little later they passed and we watched them disappear over the distant hill and turned on the lights and resumed our ride home.

Our little stay at Camp Albryoca would remain a secret......... until now.

17 comments:

  1. Memories ... secrets ... cherished forever!

    Darling write, my friend.
    Hugs, Marydon

    PS I have always enjoyed singing & one day my kid-ling said 'the only reason you go to church is so you can sing'. Out of the mouths of babes.

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  2. Sounds beautiful and a happy time.

    Love to you
    Kelly
    I've Become My Mother

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  3. Oh my Mary Ann! You made me cry! You touched a very tender cord in my heart about the Sun singings. I got excommunicated when I was 20 & at that time going to singings was one of my favorite things to do. I never had an amish boyfriend tho but I had a brother who I rode w/ & we had many good visits while riding to/from places on Sun. It's been over 6 yrs since I left & to this day I still miss singing the slow hymns.
    Now today, I'm living for the Lord & am a happy wife & mother to 2 little children.

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  4. What a great way to grow up - in a horse and buggy. Thanks for sharing your stories. I really enjoy them.

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  5. Your blog is so great! I love each story you add. Thank you for finding my blog and posting. I'm a fan forever. I do have 1 question, none story related. How do you change the word 'comments' to 'joyful thoughts'? I can't seem to figure that one out.

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  6. wow! the nerve you had,wish I,d of thought of that one.but don't we all have a few great secrets,how in the world did LV get to pull it all off,cause his bro. had to be home right on the dot, or else, so it made for some last min dashing,such fun huh,makes me almost feel giddy just going down that memory lane. I better make a mad dash for bed is terrible late.

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  7. Bummer now I noticed that the time even shows up if i'd of known that...........

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  8. Reading your stories makes me feel like I am right there. What great memories for you & secrets too! :o) You could write a book!

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  9. Such rebels! I love it. I love reading about your past and the stories that you share are like opening up another world.

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  10. It was a blessing to come across your blog for the first time today. I added it to a blog list at http://www.makingJesusmypearl.blogspot.com

    Joanna

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  11. How romantic. ....... Sigh.

    A slow buggy ride at night with the moon and stars shining and being with the one you love sounds absolutely perfect!

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  12. I'm loving your stories. This is all so interesting (and foreign) to me and it's wonderful to get a glimpse into the Amish life. I have the utmost respect for their dedication to their religion and lifestyle.

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  13. Isn't singing together a blast! :)

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  14. Ooooh, you sneaky girl! That's too funny ~ I wasn't in a buggy but I sure knew the long way home from places and liked taking those ways the best. Have a great weekend ~ ♥

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  15. You naughty children...

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  16. HAHAHAHA!!!! I'll bet you can still "smell" the fresh air from those buggy rides ... and still feel the anticipation of hoping LV
    s brother would hurry up and pass by!

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  17. I love this story memory! What a great time for you children and now you can finally tell all!
    Have a great week!
    Coralie

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment. I love hearing your thoughts.