an amish experience

i went to the amish community about 60 miles from here with my horse friend the other day. after getting the horse shod for an amazingly small amount ( we always double his fee and round it up to the nearest five, so we make sure we give him a living wage), we drove around to a few of the houses. some of them have things for sale and they have a small shed used as shop. at one of the houses, i met a very nice elderly woman. she had no teeth and little granny glasses and was totally gray under her bonnet. i thought she was about 60.

there were a bunch of children around, so i asked her how many children she had. she HAD TO USE HER FINGERS to count to 14. then she amazed me by telling me that 2 of the toddlers were HER CHILDREN and the other 3 were grandchildren.

the she told me she has a baby in the NICU "in town" that had been there 7 weeks!

my mind thoroughly blown, i told her about my son and how big and strong he is at 26. she smiled, so i hope it helped her.

then she told me the kids speak dutch until they go school. she showed me some furniture her husband was making to take to the hospital to thank them- very nice! she said they didn't want to accept "aid" but they had no choice. so he was making the most beautiful rockers for the mother and children in the nicu, to help pay back. i'm glad they were smart enough to accept help and not let their child die.

at this point, i was crying. she patted me on the hand and said, "don't be sad. things will all work out. the lord will always be with my child."

then i went crazy and spent all my cash on her wares. now i'm surrounded by jams and jellies and relishes. i'm having to make meals from the pantry beause i blew part of the grocery money on canned goods. once i told my husband the story, he said it was cool. good thing he likes jelly. i forsee a lot of biscuits and eggs in our immediate future.

then i got to wondering how much the hospital bill for 7 weeks might be up to by now. and how hard it must be for her to be so far away from her child in the nicu. she would have to go by buggy and horse to visit.

now i wish i had offered her the use of my cellphone so she could check up on her child. i hope someone is acting as a liason and bringing her word of her child's condition. maybe they are mailing her postcards on a daily basis. i was just so conflicted. i want to help her but i don't know how.

it was an eye-opening experience.

anybody want a jelly biscuit?
 
i bet my imaginary smartcar could beat her buggy in a race!