Sunbeam Update

We had Sunbeam at the doctor today again, where they were pleased with how she healed and scheduled her next surgery to remove all the hardware from her leg.

We will all be so glad once that is done and the whole accident can seem like only a bad dream.

Great Grandmother's

Any excuse I had I enjoyed stopping in at Grandpa Masts. Aunt Emma was always working at something interesting. Vernie would be helping her or playing with her toys. Grandma would be working at her desk most of the time making scrapbooks for each of her grandchildren or writing a letter for one of her many friends.

There was however one room in Grandpa's house that I tried to avoid as much as possible. The room itself was cheerful and pretty but on the one side there was a hospital bed and in it was Grandma's mother. Great Grandma had suffered from a stroke several years earlier and ever since that day Grandma was taking care of her.

She was in her nineties and I was scared of her. When ever I stepped into her room to go into Grandma's scrap booking room she would reach out with her bony arm and ask whose little girl I was. I would hurriedly answer and dart back out of the room.

On Sundays however when we would all walk to Grandpa's house I would have to go into her room with Mom while she talked to her. I used to breathe a sigh of relief once that I was allowed to go play with Vernie.

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Great Grandmother Swarey lived with one of her children. She was older than my other Great Grandma but she was still capable of taking care of herself to a certain extent.

Since she lived so far away I only ever got to meet her once. She was 103 at time. Several years later we got a letter from her son where she was living saying that she had put a pin between her lips while dressing herself as is so common among Amish women and had accidentally swallowed it.

They hadn't known about it until she complained about a pain and a trip to the doctor revealed the problem. They got the pin out. But at 106 it was too much for Great Grandmother.

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Somewhere between age 9 and now, I have quit being frightened when I meet someone who has lived a full life. And I hope by the time I'm that old someone will be willing to let me have a room in their house just like my Great Grandmother's had.

Answering Questions

I hope this isn't too personal, but I have been wondering why you left the Amish?

Since I am chronicling the journey of a happy little Amish girl to where I am today. Still happy, but no longer Amish. I will come to the part where we made the hardest decision of our life. And will share everything then.

And do you ever see your family?

It has been a long time since I saw my family last. Unfortunately our choice to leave the culture we grew up in put a strain on our relationship.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

Our favorite Christmas tradition is the huge Christmas breakfast I always make. We look forward to it all year long.

Have you any regrets about leaving?

We have no regrets about leaving. Our only regret is that we didn't leave sooner.

What is the most wonderful memory of being Amish?

My most wonderful memory? Hmmmm. This one requires a lot of contemplation. I have many great memories. I don't think it's possible to narrow it down to only one.

I have always wondered if all Amish communities are the same?

There are many differences between Amish communities. Some are so big that they won't even consider fellowshipping with other Amish churches that aren't bound by the same rules.

I was wondering if someone can become Amish?

Yes, there is a possibility to join the Amish. However it is a long drawn out deal, of learning two new languages (Pennsylvania Dutch for everyday conversations and German for church services.) and the quirks of living their lifestyle, and most important would be being accepted as a member of the church. Which is not an easy feat.

I'd be interested to know what church if any you attend.

We attend a non-denominational Bible believing church.

What are your thoughts on 'plain' anabaptism?

I think they have many good points and I still hold some of the convictions of being raised in that type of background. However over the years they have lost their focus on the main issues.

After your years of rumspringa what helped you make your decision on what to do with your life?

The word rumspringa means simply "running around" which is what it is called once Amish youth are considered old enough to join the youth group. Which in the community I grew up in and also a lot of others is not nearly as exciting as a lot of Amish books and movies portray it to be.

I joined the church when I started rumspringa and life was fairly boring.

For another former Amish view on rumspringa visit here.

I don't mean to be rude, but I am curious as to how old you were when you left the Amish?

I was in my twenties.

Do the Amish in your area vote?

No, the Amish in our area don't vote.

Did you all ever go out to eat?

The only time we went out to eat was when our friends from Georgia came to see us and would take us to a nearby Ponderosa. It used to be one of the highlights of each year.

What made you buy a computer when you left and how did you start blogging?

We needed a computer for a business we were in at the time. And I started this blog as a place to jot memories and have something that I'm comfortable with for the children to read online.

I have met numerous Amish people over the years and have noticed they never wear jewelry, not even wedding rings. I have often wondered why they don't at least wear wedding rings.

They class any and all jewelry as unnecessary and prideful.

Do you also speak a German dialect?

We still speak Pennsylvania Dutch at home at least 70% of the time.

I was wondering if after they leave are they welcomed back?

Anyone who leaves the Amish is welcome to come back if proper repentance is evident and they successfully pass a period of proving time. (Anywhere from 6 months to a year.)

Do Amish keep up with the current events?

Most Amish do. Some prefer not to.

Why is going barefoot so prevalent among the Amish?

It's comfortable and freeing to be released from the confines of shoes every spring especially if you are a child. Gardening is much easier if you don't have to worry about getting dirt in your shoes. And since wearing sandals isn't an option in a lot of communities I'm sure that makes a difference too.

My question is whether this was media hype because of one abusive family, which can happen anywhere, or are there some communities who are more severe with their children?

I have never been in any Amish community where it was okay to be severe with children. I have only ever known one family personally where there was a problem of abuse. There is a lot of exaggeration out there of how horrible it is to be raised in an Amish family. Some of it touted by bitter ex-Amish who are trying to inflict as much pain and damage to the Amish communities as possible.

I notice that your girls wear dresses that are plain-ish. Is this a carry-over from your Amish values or a matter of practicality? One more: do you still cover your hair?

I still have a lot of fabric left over from when we were Amish and I enjoy sewing. Also I am allowing Sunbeam to wear some of the Amish dresses Rosy used to wear. So I would call it a matter of practicality. I don't cover my hair at home, but still do most of the time in public.

Just Because

Several months ago I did several question and answer posts, and lately I am getting emails asking when I'll do another session like that. So since the house is on the chilly side tonight and everyone else is curled up in front of the fireplace, I am thinking why not have another go at answering questions.

You can ask me anything you want to about the Amish or what ever strikes your fancy and I'll try to answer tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Pudding

As a child the thing I looked forward to the most about Thanksgiving was the layered pudding Mom made as one of the desserts. Wednesday evenings when we came home from school she would be cooking the top part in the double boiler, and I could hardly wait until it was time to eat it.

She would cover it and set it on the porch so it would chill well overnight. On Thanksgiving morning she would bring it inside and put it into the refrigerator. We always had church services in the forenoon and I would be sitting there thinking of the turkey stuffing and the pudding that was waiting for us at home. We never stayed very long to visit after Thanksgiving church but hurried home and got the rest of our meal ready.

This year I tried to make the pudding just the way Mom used to. It was just as good as I remembered and will be making it's way onto our Thanksgiving table in the years to come. It's a tradition that I am comfortable hanging on to.

Thanksgiving Pudding

Bottom layer:

2/3 cup orange jello

1 cup boiling water

½ cup cold water

½ cup ice (approx 8 cubes)

1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple drain all juice off and set aside

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add cold water and ice. Stir until ice is melted. Add drained crushed pineapple. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Middle Layer:

1- 8 oz extra creamy Cool Whip

1- 8 oz softened cream cheese

Beat Cool Whip and cream cheese together and spread carefully across the firm jello layer. Return to refrigerator.

Top Layer:

1 to 1½ cup pineapple juice that was reserved when you drained the crushed pineapple for the bottom layer.

Add water to pineapple juice until you have two cups full.

1 cup sugar

3 slightly rounded Tbsp flour

3 beaten egg yolks

Stir all together with a wire whisk and bring to a gentle simmer in the top of a double boiler or another saucepan if you are willing to stir without ceasing. Simmer until thickened. remove from heat and cool. After it's nice and cool spread on top of cream cheese layer and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!