Visits with the Amish: Impressions of the Plain Life

Preface

ix Iwas driving down a gravel road near Kalona, Iowa, looking for Norman Kauffman, an Amish man who had agreed to talk to me. When I stopped by his farmhouse, his wife directed me to their neighbor’s field. Norman was putting up corn silage with his silage ring, a group of neighbors who shared labor and machinery during harvest season the same way old-time farmers throughout America used to do. I passed a group of Amish children walking home from school, the girls swinging their lunch buckets, peeking shyly from their black bonnets and long dark capes. The boys ducked under a fence, taking a shortcut through a pasture, their straw hats bobbing as they dashed across the grass. It was late afternoon in fall, when the sky seems more blue, the sunlight more golden, and the air more crisp and exhilarating. Hoping to find Norman, I stopped my car by a group of Amish farmers pitching cornstalks onto a wagon. Something about the scene—sun slanting golden on the corn, beards and hats bowing as men gathered cornstalks by hand, giant russet-coated work horses swishing creamy tails—created a feeling of euphoria. I felt as if I had entered a time warp, suddenly finding myself transported to an earlier century . In 13 years of visiting the Amish, I often experienced this feeling of timelessness. Somehow, I found, when freed of the telephone ring, television prattle, and superhighway roar, my head cleared. On my visits I felt light and unfettered, and extraneous thoughts evaporated. Surely there was some kind of enchantment to be found in the plain life of the Amish. Anyone who sees an Amish covered buggy lumbering along as cars whiz by can’t help but wonder about the people hidden inside. What would it be like to grow up without a car, without TV, without a telephone? What would it be like to finish school in eighth preface preface x grade? These were a few of the questions I set out to answer for myself and for my readers. Having grown up in suburbia, I have always been fascinated by cultures that reflect a more traditional lifestyle outside the grip of America’s consumer-driven society. As a member of a spiritually oriented community myself, I did not seek out the Amish for answers to life’s deeper questions. Rather, I sought them out in appreciation. Appreciation for their ability to put their Christian ideals into practice , their ability to reject television and other influences that they find harmful to family and community life, their willingness to pursue a lifestyle that preserves their values even if it is totally at odds with modern society. I was attracted to their slower pace of life and to their open, trusting faces. I learned many things while researching this book. I learned that the Amish work hard to maintain their way of life, and they are willing to sacrifice much to attain that goal. I also learned that the Amish do not appear burdened by their work. Because they wear dark, plain colors and old-fashioned clothes, I expected to find a somber, humorless people. In contrast to this solemn and formal public image, I found instead that a lively sense of humor, gentle teasing, and frequent joking were common. Of course, each community has a mix of different personalities, just like anywhere in the world. But because they do not depend on television or other forms of electronic entertainment, I think the Amish enjoy visiting, singing, and laughing together more than others. The stories in this book are my impressions of Amish family life as I experienced them. They do not in any way attempt to represent all Amish people or families. Yet these are true stories about real people. Despite the fact that they live in a closed society, the seven Amish families described in this book warmly welcomed me into their homes. They spent time reviewing each story to make sure that even small details were accurate before it was published. I am grateful for their friendship and their willingness to share these stories of Amish family life. preface xi I’d like to thank all of the Amish families who opened their homes and hearts to me. Without their help and encouragement, this book would never have happened. There are so many others to whom I feel grateful. Dr. Jim Karpen...