Recently, I took a few days off of work and Mom and I went on a road trip a few hours south. We've never done a mother-daughter trip before, but just wanted a leisurely vacation without too much driving and plenty of time to sleep in. We packed most of our food— a great way to save time as well as money especially if you're visiting an area with as many state parks as West Virginia. Monticello Neither of us had ever visited Thomas Jefferson's historical home in Virginia before. We … [Read more...] about Road Trip to Virginia and West Virginia
Lit Camp Again!
It's always hard to explain what Lit Camp is. Two summers ago, I went to Lit Camp for the first time. Last weekend, I went again, and I enjoyed it just as much. "Lit Camp" is short for "Literature Camp" and it's an educational/social weekend for people would love literature, planned with a Christian worldview in mind. Anyone is welcome, but most of the attendees have Anabaptist connections and the average age is maybe thirty. It's not a "pack your tent" type of event. Here's where it's … [Read more...] about Lit Camp Again!
Mennonites Walk Into a Cathedral
Witnessing a Roman Catholic ordination was not something I had planned to ever do. Until just recently, I didn't even know the Catholics had ordinations. But on a beautiful Saturday morning in mid-May, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia filled with a thousand or more well-dressed worshippers (standing-room-only) celebrating the ordination of nine young priests, and I was there too, loving the music and trying not to accidentally cross myself. A few weeks ago, I … [Read more...] about Mennonites Walk Into a Cathedral
The Irish Mennonites Reunion at Penn Valley Retreat
Two weeks ago, I attended a reunion unlike any I've ever been to: the first-ever reunion of all the people who have been part of the Dunmore East Amish-Mennonite Church or Comeragh Wilderness Academy in Ireland. I volunteered as a cook at Comeragh Wilderness Academy (called a "camp" back then) from September 2012 to September 2014. I returned twice to attend friends' weddings, both in 2015, I think, but a decade has now passed since I've been in Europe. Last December, an invitation came: … [Read more...] about The Irish Mennonites Reunion at Penn Valley Retreat
Family Roots
What's it like to grow up in a horse-and-buggy community? Here's an essay I wrote recently for one of my writing group assignments. I belong to two writing groups: one meets in person and we can write whatever we wish. The other group is virtual and one member picks a topic every other month. For February, the topic was "roots". Family roots, tree roots, hair roots—whatever roots we wished. I thought about writing about my Swiss-German ancestors. But the two hundred or so forebears of the … [Read more...] about Family Roots