A Time to Love (25 page)

"I should be," she said. "It's been a long day." She smiled at him. "But I'm not tired at all."

He closed the door and she picked up the propane-powered lantern. Hand in hand, they climbed the stairs to their room.

aenti—
aunt

allrecht—
all right

boppli—
baby or babies

bruder—
brother

daedi—
daddy

dall—
doll

danki—
thanks

du bischt willkumm—
you are welcome

eldre—
parents, in addition to common usage

Englisch or Englischer—
a non-Amish person

fiewer—
fever

fraa—
wife

gebet—
prayer

gem gschehne—
You are welcome

gwilde—
quilt

grossdochder—
granddaughter

grossmudder—
grandmother

gut-n-owed—
good evening

guder mariye—
good morning

gut—
good

gut nacht—
good night

haus—
house

hungerich—
hungry

kaffi—
coffee

kapp—
prayer covering or cap

kich—
kitchen

kichli—
cookies

kind, kinner—
child, children

kumm—
come

lieb—
love

liebschen—
dearest or dear one

mamm—
mom

mann—
husband

mariyefrieh—
tomorrow morning

mopskopp—
stupid fellow

mammi—
grandmother

mei—
my

nachtesse—
supper

naerfich—
nervous

nee—
no

onkel—
uncle

Ordnung—
The rules of the Amish both written and unwritten. Certain behavior has been expected within the Amish community for many, many years. These rules vary from community to community, but the most common are to not have electricity in the home, to not own or drive an automobile, and to dress in a certain way.

Pennsylvania Deitsch—
Pennsylvania German

redd-up—
clean up

ruck—
dress

rumschpringe—
time period when teenagers are allowed to experience the
Englisch
world while deciding whether to join the church

schul—
school

schur—
sure

schweschder—
sister

supp—
soup

sohn—
son

wasser—
water

Wie geht's—
Good day! How are you?

willkumm—
welcome

wunderbaar—
wonderful

ya—
yes

Caution: Please don't read before completing the book as questions contain spoilers!

1. Jenny experiences a mixture of emotions about being seriously injured. While she's grateful to be alive, she wonders why God allowed her to be hurt when she feels she was doing His work. Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people?

2. When Jenny wakes in a hospital, she finds herself tucked in a quilt her grandmother sent. "Come. Heal" reads the accompanying note. What is your special place you retreat to when you're hurting?

3. Jenny and Matthew fell in love when they were teenagers, but she left and he married another. What do you think might have happened if they had been married back then?

4. Someone once said that pain softens the soul. If that's true, Jenny's soul is certainly softened by all the pain she endures from her injuries. Do you think pain softens the soul?

5. Jenny's father was born Amish but he chose to leave before being baptized. As she visited her grandmother during summers, Jenny realized that the Plain life felt very comfortable and "right" for her. Do you share the same religious and spiritual beliefs as your parents? Why, or why not?

6. Amish religious services are held in the homes of its worshippers. Have you ever attended a service in a church very different from the kind you are accustomed to? How was it?

7. A man from the community disapproves of Jenny. Have you ever felt unjustly accused? What was the situation? How did you handle it?

8. The Amish believe that children are gifts from God and that the number of children a couple has is determined by God's will. Do you agree with this? Explain.

9. Just when Jenny feels that her life is on track and everything is going well, she encounters another challenge. Sometimes people say that God never gives you more than you can handle. How do you feel about this statement?

10. We are God's children and, thus, beautiful to Him. Yet Jenny struggles with self-esteem issues because she is scarred. What would you say to someone who feels that they are less than beautiful in the eyes of the one they love?

11. Jenny is sad that she can't continue the work she loves but then she finds a way to do something different to accomplish the same goal. Have you ever felt a door close because another is opening with a new opportunity? Explain.

12. In Ecclesiastes, we read that there is a time to every purpose under heaven . . . a time to be born and a time to die . . . a time to weep and a time to love. Jenny feels that because she may not be able to have children she should not marry Matthew. What would you tell Jenny?

Bonus chapter from Book 2 in the "Quilts of

Lancaster County" series

H
e was free.

They couldn't keep him caged up any more. He took a deep breath of the summer air, warm and fragrant with the scents of earth and the crops growing in the fields on each side of the road.

A man could get to feel dead inside living in the place he'd been, trapped in a prison of despair and pain, shut away from the rest of the world. He was out now and he was never going back.

He had enough scars to last a lifetime.

His surroundings were so different from the small rural town in Kansas where he'd grown up. But there was a similar feel to this landscape with crops ripening in the fields and most of all, the huge barns that cast shadows over the neat farmhouses near them, as if asserting their importance. Work, industry, came first.

The old-time farm equipment was different. Modern-day efficiency ruled the fields back home. And the buggies . . .well, that was the biggest surprise. He knew the Amish drove buggies. He'd seen photos. But the reality of seeing them was a different thing. It made him feel like he'd stepped back in time, not just stepped out of the prison he'd been in for so long.

Dusk was falling as he made his way to his goal. He set his duffel down and pulled a wrinkled map from his pocket, studying it for the hundredth time. Excitement was beginning to build in him even though he was exhausted and hungry. She wouldn't be expecting him. Might not even appreciate the surprise. But he'd felt compelled to come here. It might mean trouble but he'd never backed down from it before.

He heard the sound of horse hooves clip-clopping up behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Need a ride there,
sohn?"

He turned and looked up into the friendly face of an Amish man whose grizzled beard blew in the cooling late summer breeze.

"No, thanks," he told him. "I don't have much farther to go."

He watched as the Amish man nodded, called to his horse, and the buggy moved on down the road.

Forced to rest a short while later, he ate the jerky strips and apple he'd bought at a convenience store earlier. It was a meager meal, but he'd had worse—sometimes none at all. The ability to be outdoors, enjoying God's country—well, that made it a banquet.

He pitched the apple core into the nearby field. It'd make a meal for some mouse or other tiny animal. He tucked the jerky packaging back into his duffel and stood. Pain shot through his knee, and he sighed, working the kinks out of it before he tried walking.

It wasn't far now. That was the farmhouse up ahead. He recognized it without even looking at the number on the mailbox. She'd described it so well.

He didn't know if he'd get a welcome. After all, they hadn't met under the best of conditions. Perhaps he should have written and asked if he could come, just to visit. But he hadn't wanted to know she didn't want him to. If she refused to see him, he'd find a place and see for himself what she'd talked about.

But as he looked around him, as he breathed the air of freedom and walked alone and unfettered, he knew that he'd found what he'd been searching for all these years.

Paradise.

I tested this recipe given to me by an Amish friend and ate entirely too many pretzels. You can make these traditionally, with just a sprinkling of kosher salt, OR you can roll them in sesame or poppy seeds or garlic or onion powder before baking for a savory version.

If you have a sweet tooth, after baking, try rolling plain pretzels in cinnamon sugar or a simple glaze made with confection sugar and water.

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon yeast

1/4 warm water (make sure it's warm, not hot)

3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup plus two tablespoons powdered sugar

1-1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1-1/4 cups baking soda

4 cups warm (not hot) water

nonstick baking spray

1/4 cup melted butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl and let sit for a few minutes. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil. Stir until blended, then form dough into a ball. Knead dough on floured board for five or six minutes. Using a paper towel and some vegetable oil, coat the inside of a big bowl with oil and place dough in it. Cover, set in a warm (not hot) place to rise for about forty-five minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine baking soda with the four cups of warm water and stir. Put dough on clean kitchen counter (don't use any flour) and cut into eight portions. Roll each until it's about three-feet long. Pick up each end of the dough and twist in pretzel shape, flipping around so the middle is wrapped twice.

Dip pretzels in the warm baking soda and water mixture, and blot any excess moisture before placing on two baking sheets sprayed lightly with nonstick baking spray. Now season them as you have decided — sprinkle with kosher salt or with the seeds or flavored onion or garlic powder. If you're planning on having sweet pretzels, you should not add salt before baking.

Bake pretzels for approximately four minutes. Don't walk away from the oven! If it looks like they're browning unevenly, you may need to turn the pans around. Remove when the pretzels are a nice golden color. Top with a little melted butter and eat immediately.

If you want the sweet kind, you can use the premixed cinnamon sugar or combine two teaspoons cinnamon with a half cup sugar. Spread melted butter on the pretzels, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over them and enjoy!

For some extra fun, get children to help you form the dough into stick shapes or alphabet letters before baking.

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