YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW

The Bally Babes second annual party at Jan’s lake house was a huge success. Once again, I was the token male serving rum swizzles and acting as their cabana boy. Arts and crafts, games, story telling, and philosophy were on the agenda. I found the girls to be deep thinkers with important lessons to share. One of their stories was about a Swedish goat lover. This story made me laugh until I cried, but contained on important message about life.

The vacation in Amish country was enjoyable. We stayed with the Miller family on their dairy farm. They are completely independent from the rest of the world. They have their own natural gas well, a windmill, 6 Belgian workhorses, and a herd of 40 milk cows. They create their own electricity and have no need for public utilities. They produce or make everything that they need. No automobiles, no telephones, and no radio or television.  Their life style was a beautiful example of how to live a good life. They try to live a life that is more Christ-like. Regardless of your religion or lack of religion, if we all lived a life like Christ, the world would be a better and happier place. No wars, just love and cooperation.

The annual fish fry at the Lutheran Church Of The lakes will be on this coming Saturday. It is always a fun and delicious event and it is a fundraiser for local charity. You can be charitable and have a good time. One elderly man catches most of the 3000+ fish in our local lakes. He filets and freezes them in a matter of weeks. It is truly an amazing accomplishment that shows what a man can do if he puts his mind to it. Or, who knows, it might be a miracle!  

AMISH VACATION PICTURES

A DIFFERENT KIND OF LIFE

Ah, the simple life of the Amish. No cars, no telephones, no TV or radio, no Internet, just a peaceful life that is separate from the rest of the world. No pride, envy, vanity, laziness, dishonesty_just hard work, an unassuming character, love of friends and family, and respect for the community. Sounds so good that I decided to try it. Next week, we are spending a few days with the Miller family on their third generation Amish farm. It is the only Bed and Breakfast owned and operated by an Amish family. It is located in the World’s largest Amish community which is in central Ohio. We will be participating in the farm’s dailey events and enjoying their simple and pure life.

Also, we will be touring the area looking for furniture, quilts, toys, and other Amish handicrafts. And of course, we will have to sample their wonderful food and baked goods. We will visit the Amish & Mennonite Center in Berlin. It has some spectacular artwork that tells the story of how the Amish evolved from the Anabaptist in Europe during the reformation and was subjected to terrible torture and death by the government-controlled churches. It is no wonder that they elected to immigrate to America where there was a freedom of religion separate from the government.

The Amish blueprint for expected behavior is the Ordnung. The purpose of the Ordnung is to guide Amish behavior into being more Christ-like. An important part of Amish life is “yieldedness”, letting be, or submission to the will of God. It is seen in the following aspects of Amish life:

• Personality reserved, modest, calm, quiet
• Values: submission, obedience, humility, simplicity
• Symbols: dress, horse, carriage, lantern
• Structure: small, informal, local, decentralized
• Ritual: baptism, confession, ordination, foot-washing

Amish church membership begins with baptism, usually between the ages of 16 and 25. It is a requirement for marriage, and once a person has affiliated with the church, she or he may only marry within the faith. Church districts average between 20 and 40 families and worship services are held every other Sunday in a member’s home. The rite of foot washing is included in their communion ceremony.

The Amish are hard working people with deep-rooted faith and commitment to God, family and community. They are meticulous farmers who practice the virtues of work and thrift. Farming sustains their way of life. They work their farms to take care of their families. I commend them and admire them. (But I couldn’t live like that!)

AMISH PARKING LOT AT CHURCH

LIFE'S PERSISTENT QUESTIONS

Life is meaningful from beginning to end, but mysterious in many ways. One would need an intuitive understanding of the quantum nature of the universe to understand its fundamental structure. The layered mysteries of this world serve to stimulate human reasoning but so far, nobody has been able to figure it all out. When one mystery is solved, the solution creates even more mysteries. Can you solve these mysteries?

Why do you call it an asteroid when it is outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it’s up your ass? 

If there is nothing we can do about the weather, why do some idiots think we are causing Global Warming?

You know that little indestructible black box used on planes, why can’t they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

When someone asks you, “A penny for your thoughts”, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

When following a slow moving car on the highway, why are there no cars coming at you in no passing zones but as soon as you come to a pass with care zone, there are a bunch of cars coming so that you cannot pass?

If God made the universe, who made God? And if who made God, who made who? And so on…

CAPTAIN HARRY