The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (45 page)

Sophia was seated in the high chair in Emma’s kitchen, happily eating a cookie with a glass of milk, so Emma decided to take the rest of the cookies into the living room to share with Carmen and Paul. She’d just stepped into the hall when she saw the young couple holding hands and looking lovingly at each other.
Better not disturb them right now
, she decided.
Think I’ll give them a little more time alone
.

Emma had no more than reentered the kitchen, when Lamar came in from outside. “Look who just arrived,” he said, motioning to Anna, who followed close behind.

“Oh Anna, it’s good that you came today. Carmen is in the living room with Paul.” Emma gestured to Sophia, sitting in the high chair. “This is Paul’s little girl, Sophia.”

Just as Emma said her name, Sophia looked up and gave Anna a big grin.

“She’s so cute,” Anna exclaimed.

Emma smiled, watching as Anna walked over to Sophia and tickled her under the chin.

“I’m going back outside,” Lamar said. “I plumb forgot about checking for phone messages.”

When Lamar went out the door, Emma turned to Anna and said, “How have you been?”

Anna’s cheeks colored. “It’s hard to explain, because I’m still confused, but I think my eyes have been opened to some things.”

“Oh? What kind of things?” Emma asked.

“Lately I’ve been feeling like I need to get away someplace on my own. And I’ve had an opportunity to go to Florida with my friend Mandy in December.” Anna stopped talking, as if to regroup her thoughts; then she slowly shook her head. “I thought this would be my chance to get out on my own for a bit. I wanted a taste of something different—maybe even try out the English way of life. Then two weeks ago, after our last quilting class, Mandy and I went to Goshen and we dressed in English clothes, let our hair down, and even wore some makeup. It was fun until a couple of English fellows came into the restaurant and wouldn’t leave us alone.”

“Did anything happen?” Emma asked with concern.

“No, thank goodness,” Anna replied. “Mandy and I slipped into the restroom, washed off the makeup, and changed back into our Amish clothes. Somehow we were able to slip back out without those guys even recognizing us.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Emma said, placing a comforting hand on Anna’s arm.

“When I got home that evening,” Anna continued, “and told my folks who I was with, Dad yelled and Mom’s face turned red. They never did approve of me hanging around with Mandy, but she’s my best friend. Then I got angry and blurted out to Mom and Dad that I was going to Florida, and that my mind was made up.”

Emma almost knew what was coming next. It sounded all too familiar after recently hearing her sister Betty’s side of the story, but she let Anna go on telling her what had happened.

“So when I said that, Dad told me if I went to Florida, I could just stay there and never come back.” Anna’s chin quivered, and her eyes filled with tears. “How could Dad say something like that to me?”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it, Anna. He was only speaking out of anger and concern.”

Anna sighed. “Well, ever since then, Dad and I are hardly talking, and Mom is so upset she keeps begging me not to go. I’m so confused and don’t know how to fix things between us. If I don’t go to Florida and get some experience on my own, I don’t think things will ever change for me here at home.”

“I understand,” Emma said, giving Anna a hug. Then she quickly told her about meeting her oldest sister for the first time, and how and why Betty had left home. She then stated, “Betty’s decision to leave home, and our parents’ response to it, affected everyone. If you’re going to leave home and think you’ll want to come back, then you should tell your parents that. In fact, I think it would be good if you tell them everything you’ve told me just now, Anna. And if you like, I’d be happy to speak with your Mom and Dad, too.”

“Would you really do that for me?” Anna asked.

Emma nodded. “I had it in my mind to do that anyway. Since Lamar and I have decided to spend our winter in Sarasota, I’ll let your parents know that we’ll be there in case you need anything. That might set their minds at ease.”

Anna smiled as she dried her tears. “Danki, Emma. I think that would help, and I’ll look forward to seeing you in Florida.”

Emma motioned to the door leading to the living room. “As I mentioned, Carmen’s here, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you, so why don’t you go in and say hello?”

“Okay, I will.” Anna started out of the room but turned back around. “I’m glad I talked to you, and I appreciate your concern and support.” She pivoted around and hurried down the hall.

Seeing that Sophia had smudges of cookie on her face, Emma went to the sink and wet a paper towel. She’d just finished cleaning the little girl up when Lamar entered the kitchen.

“I just checked our phone messages,” he said, “and there was one from Blaine.”

“Oh, what’d he say?” Emma asked, lifting Sophia down from the high chair.

“Well, first he wanted to let us know that he’d become an uncle again. Seems his brother Darin and his wife, just had their first
boppli—a
little boy.”

“Isn’t that nice?” Emma smiled. “I’ll bet Blaine is excited.

“He was and said he’d be heading up to Canada around the holidays when all his family will be together.” Lamar paused before continuing. “Guess what else?”

“There’s more?” Emma asked.

Lamar gave a nod. “Blaine also said that he wouldn’t be able to come here today because he’s meeting Sue for coffee.”

Emma quirked an eyebrow. “Isn’t she Blaine’s ex-girlfriend?”

Lamar nodded. “Guess she wants to get back together, and at my suggestion, Blaine’s giving her a second chance.”

Emma tweaked her husband’s nose. “Is that so? And I thought I was the only matchmaker in this family.”

“Oh really? Who, might I ask, have you been trying to get together?”

Emma gestured to Sophia. “Her daed’s in our living room right now, talking to Carmen.”

Lamar’s eyes twinkled. “Ah, I see. And I’m guessing you had something to do with that?”

“Well, I didn’t set it up, if that’s what you mean, but after Carmen showed up, Paul and Sophia came by. When I saw that Paul had some things he wanted to say to Carmen, I brought Sophia in here so the two of them could talk in private.” Emma’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I peeked in on them a few minutes ago, and they were holding hands. Anna, in fact, just went to join them. And by the way, Anna opened up to me, and we had a good talk.”

Lamar grinned. “That’s
gut
, jah?”

“Yes, it’s very good on both accounts.”

A knock sounded on the back door, and Lamar called, “Come in, it’s open!”

Selma stepped in, smiling from ear to ear. “I’m not late, am I?” she asked.

“No, Carmen and Anna are here, and they’re in the living room with Paul,” Emma replied.

“And Blaine’s not going to be able to make it,” Lamar added.

“Well, there’s something I want to share with you,” Selma said, clasping Emma’s arm. “I called my daughter last night, and we had a long talk. I apologized to Cora for the things I’ve said in the past that hurt her, and she said she was sorry for leaving home and not keeping in touch with me.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Emma said, giving Selma a hug. “I’m happy to hear that things are working out between you and your daughter.”

“It’s because of you, Emma,” Selma said, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “You taught me more than just how to quilt. You helped me realize the importance of loving and accepting others.”

Emma smiled. “I think we all learned a lot from each other during our quilting classes.”

The roar of an engine drew Emma’s attention to the kitchen window.

“Sounds like Terry and Cheryl are here,” Lamar said with a chuckle. “I’ll let them in.”

When Cheryl and Terry entered the kitchen, Emma knew immediately that they had worked things out, for they wore huge smiles on their faces.

“Cheryl told me the good news,” Terry said, stepping up to Emma. “Special things seem to happen when folks take your quilting classes. Jan found his daughter during one of your classes, and now Cheryl’s found her great-aunt and you’ve found your sister.” Terry, looking into Cheryl’s eyes, smiled and took her hand. “I found you, and it’s almost too good to be true.”

Emma was surprised to see that Terry had cut his hair and was dressed in nicer clothes. He obviously wanted to make a good impression on Cheryl.

Lamar winked at Emma, and she winked right back. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this would not be the last group of would-be quilters she would teach. Whether it was here in Indiana or in Florida during the winter, she knew that God would send the right people at just the right time.

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons milk

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups chopped apples

Topping:

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together in a bowl the butter, sugar, and eggs. Add the baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons milk. Finally, add in the flour, salt, vanilla, and chopped apples. Pour into a 9” x 5½” greased bread pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of bread batter. Bake for 1 hour.

1.   In this story, Anna was dissatisfied with her life and wanted to leave home to try out the “English” way of life. Why do you think some teenagers (Amish or English) are anxious to leave home and strike out on their own?

2.   Due to his parents’ breakup, Terry feared marriage and commitment. How can a person whose life has been affected by a breakup learn to have a meaningful relationship without fear or worry that it will happen to them?

3.   After Carmen was asked to write an article that would shed a negative light on the Amish, she came to realize that things weren’t quite the way she thought they were. Have you ever been asked to do something you believed would please your boss or brighten your career and then realized what you’d been asked to do was wrong? How did you handle the situation?

4.   Blaine felt uncomfortable in a group setting—especially when he was expected to do something unfamiliar to him, such as quilting. Have you ever been afraid to try something new for fear of saying or doing something foolish? How can we help ourselves or someone we know get over feeling self-conscious when trying something new?

5.   Selma had been holding a grudge ever since her daughter left home. This compounded her fear of rejection and lowered her self esteem, making it difficult to develop a relationship with others. Has a fear of rejection ever kept you from reaching out to others?

6.   Cheryl was an only child and felt all alone growing up due to the lack of her parents’ attention. Have you ever felt that way? What are some ways we can deal with painful childhood memories or feelings of rejection from our parents?

7.   Was it fate or God’s intervention that kept Emma and Lamar from going to Florida too soon? Has a reverse decision ever opened a door to something unexpected in your life?

8.   Carmen felt that too much of the news was based on negative events. Would you rather read about tragedies and other people’s problems, or do you prefer to read about the good things people do or that happen to them? Does hearing about other people’s problems make ours seem any less?

9.   Lamar tried to hide from Emma the fact that his arthritis was acting up. Do you think spouses should ever keep things about their health from each other?

10.  At times Emma felt like she was not getting through to her students or helping them with their personal problems. She didn’t want to pry, but she hoped they would feel free to share with her so she could help mentor them as she’d done with several other people who had previously come to her home to learn to quilt. What are some ways we can minister to others without prying into their personal lives?

New York Times
bestselling author
Wanda E. Brunstetter
became fascinated with the Amish way of life when she first visited her husband’s Mennonite relatives living in Pennsylvania.

Wanda and her husband, Richard, live in Washington State but take every opportunity to visit Amish settlements throughout the States, where they have many Amish friends. Wanda and her husband have two grown children and six grandchildren. In her spare time, Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, beachcombing, and having fun with her family. Visit Wanda’s website at
www.wandabrunstetter.com
, where you can learn more about her books and contact her.