This morning, I had a small serving of eggs and bacon with two slices of toast - nothing special. But on one slice was homemade rhubarb jam (Hershberger family) and on the other, dandelion jelly (Yoder family). Both families are Amish and did business at the Saturday farmer's market.
As I was tasting the amazing flavors, I suddenly felt sad. I can't say that the Amish and I are aligned on our faith - strong Christian roots, but somewhere, we got diverged in the wood. However, I have to say that I'm a little envious of their life. I'm not sure I'd survive it, but it's really attractive. As a child of God, I am but a traveler in this world for a short time. And I fill that time with technology, commuting, eating great meals, exercising (as often as I find the time), reading, watching TV, and a few minutes a day with my family. WHAT IS THAT?! Is my salary really worth it? Will my children truly suffer long term if I don't make the salary I do now? Am I misdirecting my question or curiosities?
I don't know, but those Amish folks really got me thinking about my priorities and how I look at life. To not put myself in a position to care whether I have something that I don't need...to fully appreciate and be grateful for God, family, friends, food, shelter, and clothing. The rub to that is that God put us on this earth to bring the good news to the masses...kind of hard - but NOT IMPOSSIBLE...when you live the life of true, gut-wrenching simplicity.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
G&G B&B, the Amish, and a couple Minnesota Caves
For our family vacation, we decided to go to Harmony, MN. Rhea had been in that area about 20 years ago - so we considered the area to be largely unchartered for us - which made it even more attractive.
We stayed at Grandma & Grandpa's B&B, about 10 minutes from Harmony - down a largely isolated country road above the valley. It was quaint, and the owners (who also own the hardware store in town) left us completely to ourselves, which is what we wanted. It was cozy for four people, but comfortable and had everything we needed...and more.
The Amish are plentiful in the area and we were able to be in their presence at least a couple times per day. What a beautiful people, really, if you step back to understand them. First, you really can't get too much more environmentally friendly - and their simplistic way of life is appealing. They may be a bit too locked in their view of non-Amish folks...but you have to give them credit for sticking to their guns! I got to interact with some Amish children in the grocery store, and we also went to an Amish market and were able to speak to a couple of the craft women. We bought a couple crafty things, along with dandelion jelly, rhubarb jam, and raspberry/rhubarb pie. All of it - EXCELLENT!
We went to two caves - Niagara Cave (outside Harmony) and Mystery Cave (in Forestville State Park). Both were great adventures, but Rhea and I agreed that Niagara got our attention most. It just seemed less...mainstreamed. But Mystery Cave kind of has to for educational purposes and to let all people access the cave. They still do a good job of preserving a taste of the natural cave terrain and formations. Niagara Cave, though, was spectacular. Not highly accessible, though for those in wheelchairs, the elderly, or the overweight (lots of spaces where we just squeezed through). But that's part of the charm - if they made it highly accessible to all, then they would have to blast out a big percentage of the natural formations that you otherwise wouldn't see. Niagara Cave also have a place outside the giftshop (which is very nice) where you can pan for gems and stones - both Ethan and Erikka did that and it was really cool. Even the big kids were having fun with it!
All-in-all the visit down there was great - nice giftshops, quaint places to eat and beautiful scenery. We also visit Lanesboro, but weren't entirely impressed - maybe we need to go to Lanesboro without kids or something...it just didn't seem all that it was cracked up to be.
Highly recommend all the things we went to - very fun, very memorable, and we got to learn new things about our Amish neighbors and God's amazing creation!
">http://grandpaandgrandmas.com/
">http://www.harmony.mn.us/
">http://www.niagaracave.com/default.asp
">http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/forestville_mystery_cave/index.html
We stayed at Grandma & Grandpa's B&B, about 10 minutes from Harmony - down a largely isolated country road above the valley. It was quaint, and the owners (who also own the hardware store in town) left us completely to ourselves, which is what we wanted. It was cozy for four people, but comfortable and had everything we needed...and more.
The Amish are plentiful in the area and we were able to be in their presence at least a couple times per day. What a beautiful people, really, if you step back to understand them. First, you really can't get too much more environmentally friendly - and their simplistic way of life is appealing. They may be a bit too locked in their view of non-Amish folks...but you have to give them credit for sticking to their guns! I got to interact with some Amish children in the grocery store, and we also went to an Amish market and were able to speak to a couple of the craft women. We bought a couple crafty things, along with dandelion jelly, rhubarb jam, and raspberry/rhubarb pie. All of it - EXCELLENT!
We went to two caves - Niagara Cave (outside Harmony) and Mystery Cave (in Forestville State Park). Both were great adventures, but Rhea and I agreed that Niagara got our attention most. It just seemed less...mainstreamed. But Mystery Cave kind of has to for educational purposes and to let all people access the cave. They still do a good job of preserving a taste of the natural cave terrain and formations. Niagara Cave, though, was spectacular. Not highly accessible, though for those in wheelchairs, the elderly, or the overweight (lots of spaces where we just squeezed through). But that's part of the charm - if they made it highly accessible to all, then they would have to blast out a big percentage of the natural formations that you otherwise wouldn't see. Niagara Cave also have a place outside the giftshop (which is very nice) where you can pan for gems and stones - both Ethan and Erikka did that and it was really cool. Even the big kids were having fun with it!
All-in-all the visit down there was great - nice giftshops, quaint places to eat and beautiful scenery. We also visit Lanesboro, but weren't entirely impressed - maybe we need to go to Lanesboro without kids or something...it just didn't seem all that it was cracked up to be.
Highly recommend all the things we went to - very fun, very memorable, and we got to learn new things about our Amish neighbors and God's amazing creation!
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