Saturday September 2, 2006

Lousy Weather – Sweet Fellowship

Today was the annual family get-together with our Amish friends.

The parents, Amos and Linda, our friends for almost forty years, live on the center-right.  Due to the rain, we spent the day in their large woodcrafting shop on the far right.  One of their twin sons, his wife and children live on the left; two of their seven children are single and live at home; one son lives about forty minutes south of them – two hours by horse and buggy – which is how they traveled today; three live several hours northwest of here, and hired drivers – only two of those families were able to come.

I would have loved to take my camera inside, but in respect for their wishes to not photograph them (especially the adults) – I did not take pictures.

Oh, how I wish I could show you a picture of Amos playing harmonica.  Not because he was playing harmonica, but he is the person we were visiting in the hospital on July 2 – when the large branch damaged our house.

When we said goodby at the hospital that day, we all did so thinking that the next time we met would be in Heaven.  (He is certainly prepared to go there.)  He was so sick.  We cried and prayed with him before leaving.

God has performed a miracle!  He has a serious, rare, intestinal disease.  Today, we – and his children who came from a distance – were amazed to see him eat a full-course meal!  (From July 2 until a week ago, he was on liquids.)

 

I wish I could show you a picture of all of us singing Amazing Grace and Come and Dine before lunch.

If I had taken pictures of the food – many of you would have asked for recipes!

Grilled chicken (leg & thigh), baked beans, baked corn, buttered potatoes, tossed salad, grape dessert, peach dessert, mint tea, and sodas were provided by our friends.  Our family brought the paper plates, cups, plasticware, and mid-afternoon snack:  chips, pretzels, Tasty Cake Dessert, and chocolate-cereal bars.

You would have enjoyed seeing twenty children running, playing, riding scooters, getting wet in the rain, and just enjoying being together. 

And – six of our grandchildren and six of theirs weren’t there!

 

Our sons, sons-in-law, daughters, and daughters-in-law have a great time together.  The inlaws enjoy hearing stories of visits when our children were young.  They also talk about things that are currently happening.  I enjoy watching them interact.  

We are honored and blessed to share their friendship.

I never tire of traveling through Amish Country.

We have only a few Amish families in our area.  Today I saw more horse and buggies than I usually seen in a few months.

~~~

By tonight, the wind and rain from Hurricane Ernesto had covered our driveway with leaves – at least there aren’t any large branches this time!