Monday Inspiration: Amish Grace

How often does inspiration rise out of tragedy? Often enough, I suppose. At times we can see the hand of God in someone else’s life … even during the moment of their grief.

My wonderful editor sent me an article from USA Today —For Amish, No Grudge, Blame in Tragedy. It’s a piece regarding the Amish community suffering from the tragedy last week–5 members were killed and 7 injured in an auto accident.

“There won’t be any anger,” Stillman said after visiting relatives of Enos and Rose Anna Miller, a couple hurt in the accident. “Basically, for them, what happened was God’s will.”

An estimated 1,500 Amish people converged on the settlement last week, many from far-flung communities, to pay their respects. As is tradition, they brought food and attended funeral services on Friday and Saturday.

Funerals were held Friday for Melvin Hershberger, 42, Melvin Hostetler, 40, and Anna Mary Byler, 60. Funerals were planned Saturday for Sarah Miller and Elizabeth Mast, 46.

There is no central church in Amish communities, although there is typically a bishop, two ministers and a deacon who lead services.

“The church is not a service or a place, it is the community,” said Karen Johnson-Weiner, whose new book, “New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State,” is thought to be the first to examine Amish settlements in the state, where the Amish population has nearly tripled in the past decade to 13,000, according to scholarly research.

“In a sense,” said Johnson-Weiner, a professor of anthropology at SUNY Potsdam, “the Amish person is really always in church, living life a particular way, acting a particular way, dressing in a particular way, always showing faith and fellowship.”

The last few years, I’ve immersed myself in all things Amish–reading, writing, research, travel … and there is still much I have to learn. One thing I’m beginning to get a handle on and that is the grace Amish extend in times of tragedy–I find that inspiring.

V~

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