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If I Had Amish Neighbors | Kate Lloyd

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I’m usually cheerful and optimistic, but I took a tumble last week and injured my right shoulder; what used to be my good arm is now an aggravating source of discomfort. Can you tell I’m feeling sorry for myself?

My doctor said, “Nothing’s broken or torn, but don’t lift anything heavier than five pounds until the pain goes away. And stay off the computer.” Huh? What could be worse for an author and her laptop?

Did I mention my husband is out of town for three days, and that driving a car or going to the grocery store would be near impossible? Standing at the kitchen counter a few minutes ago constructing my lunch one-handed, I imagined myself living on an Amish farm.Screen Shot 2014-06-11 at 8.11.23 AM

If I were a member of an Amish community I’d probably never be isolated. Even if all other household residents were unavailable to fix meals, I would most likely find someone across the road or next-door.

My husband and I are city dwellers. Over the years, as our children have grown and left town, many of our friends have also moved away. You know, the kind of folks who’d lend you a cup of sugar or help you put out the garbage.

My elderly mother-in-law is in a worse situation. She’s only a 45-minute drive away, but my visiting her is out of the question this week. I’ve told my husband that if we lived in a house with an extra bedroom on the first floor I’d be happy if she stayed with us permanently. My mother-in-law and I get along well, and even if we didn’t, I’d help care for her. As the Amish do.

In Amish communities, older generations are not left out in the cold or shuffled into retirement homes. Not that I’m putting down retirement homes, but they’re expensive and some older people simply do not wish to live in one.Screen Shot 2014-06-11 at 8.11.59 AM

I imagine the many experiences I’ve missed by not residing in an Amish community, such as quilting frolics and tending my own vegetable garden. As city-kids, both our sons missed the experience of growing food to eat at the table. I recall gathering vegetables from my grandmother’s garden in Litchfield County, CT, and savoring the sweetness of the carrots and blackberries, plus feeling a sense of accomplishment. On her “gentleman’s” farm, life moved at a slower pace—but again she lived alone, unlike Amish communities. When her barn burned down shortly after her death, Amish men and women would have arrived the next day to initiate rebuilding the red structure. (Thankfully, no animals in it.)

I’m still startled when I visit Grandma’s home and find her barn missing. The woman who lives there now is cordial and invites us inside, but if my grandmother had been Amish, my cousin or another relative might reside there or across the road. We could gather over a meal and reminisce. And I would probably be invited to spend the night, if not longer.

It seems we English are missing out on a lot! I wonder what I could do to create a better community where I’m already planted. Any ideas?


@KateLloydAuthor takes a look at how life might look different if she had #Amish neighbors
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Kate_LloydKate Lloyd, a native of Baltimore, spends time with family and friends in Lancaster County, PA, the inspiration for her CBA bestselling novels Leaving Lancaster and Pennsylvania Patchwork, and newly released Forever Amish.

She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest, the setting for Kate’s first novel, A Portrait of Marguerite.

Learn more about Kate Lloyd on her
Website: www.katelloyd.net.

Forever Amish

Screen Shot 2014-06-10 at 10.58.24 AMThe latest book in the Legacy of Lancaster trilogy, Forever Amish introduces us to a young woman about to uncover a shocking secret and find an invitation to a new way of living. This is a story of forgiveness, legacies, and the ties that bind through generations.

It’s the Last Thing She Expects to FindSally Bingham needs some time away to sort through the changes in her life and to rethink her upcoming marriage. Despite her ailing father’s hesitations, she takes off for a bed and breakfast in Lancaster County for a weekend away. But her best-laid plans leave her in a near collision with a bishop’s buggy and in the home of a mysterious Amish woman named Lizzie. Lizzie introduces her to a different perspective on life, a charming farmhand named Armin— and opens a Pandora’s box that will forever change Sally’s life

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The post If I Had Amish Neighbors | Kate Lloyd appeared first on Not Quite Amish.


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