I woke up this morning at 5AM and couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to get another blog post out. It’s kind of nice to look out on the quiet streets before they start to bustle with daily life. It makes me think of my mom, how she liked to wake up early to write her letters before all of us kids woke up. I think of her sitting there by the kerosene lamp writing letters to her mom or friends in different communities. Now she still sits there and writes me letters and they find their way to the little mail slot in my flat in London, a reminder of her love.
I love the tradition of letter writing in the Amish communities. I realized that’s what I want this blog to be. It’s not as personal as opening the mailbox and getting a handwritten, stamped envelope, but these are my letters to you. I will always welcome your replies so feel free to email me, leave comments, or whatever form your letters may take.
We’ve signed the paperwork for ADSFund and we are now officially an organization, not just a dream. It’s a little bit scary because now we have to make it work. Right now we’re in the middle of finals and Naomi is about to head off to Peru for the summer through her nursing school (I’m really excited for her!!) and it feels like a lot of responsibility to make this happen. But I know we can do it because it’s so much more than us three – it’s you and your support. It’s being a community and looking out for each other the way we were raised to do.
We are planning a fundraiser in Ohio in September, which Will is organizing. I really hope I can be there. It would be so nice to meet our supporters and celebrate what we are trying to do. I expect there to be a lot of former Amish there and I’m really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting new ones. The thing about growing up Amish – we are all connected before we even meet. We are a community that I’m really proud to be a part of. The nice thing is – anyone is welcome to be a part of this community and I’m feeling so much support from my friends from all walks of life. Thank you!!
We’ll keep you updated on the fundraiser so you can mark your calendar – it will probably either be the first or second Saturday in September. More information to come soon! I hope you all have a great day and I’ll write again soon.
Love,
Emma
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