Date: 2003-07-20
From: Rustys Hard Time Hollow

To: Rustys Hard Time Hollow
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I milked a cow!! That subject line does not come close to telling you what a special, wonderful day I had! It all began when Rusty yelled at us all to get up and get moving. This morning, Rusty had invited us to go to church with him and we were really looking forward to it!   Rusty is Amish, and never having had the opportunity to attend an Amish/Mennonite church service, I was doubly excited! My preparations for the service actually started yesterday afternoon when I did my laundry. Rusty has a large barrel of rain water that he pours a little bleach in to kill the mosquito larve. I filled a bucket with it, and proceeded to wring my clothes til the water ran clear.   After hanging them out to dry, I took a shower in a small stream of ice cold water behind the house. It occured to me that it was Saturday evening, ad that I was taking my weekly go-to-meeting shower!   Now, how "litle house on the prarie" can you get? :)   Along with the late night hot tub, I was hoping that I would be presentable for the church service. We all put on long pants and shirts with sleeves in preparation for the service. It wasn't until later that I realize how tolerant the church-goers were of our unique attire. We arrived at church and upon entering, the men went to one side of the room, and the women went to the other. Bumpkin attended a Mennonite church for a year, so she was able to prepare me somewhat.   I was very concerned that I would say or do something that would offend someone. However, I quickly realized that as long as I was myself, and that I took the time to think before I opened my mouth, (isn't that a novel concept!), I would be just fine.   We were still walking towards the womens side of the room when the ladies began to approach us. I have never been in a more warm and welcoming congregation! Bumpkin and I were surrounded by friendly faces and outstretched hands as we introduced ourselves over and over and furiously tried to remember names. The service had not even begun and I felt comp!letelely welcome and comfortable! Inside the sanctuary, the men sat on the right side and the women sat on the left. The men, to a person, had on white, long-sleeved shirts and dark pants. The women looked like a bouquet of flowers in full bloom. They all had similiar dresses on, but they were in every color of the rainbow.   Each one had her hair in a bun and a small white bonnet covering their head. It was here that I could see the generosity of spirit they showed in welcoming us! These women never wear pants, and here Bumpkin and I were with nothing but pants to wear! I will say, also, that I did get a little tickled when I looked across the congregation and saw our men interspersed with the Amish men. Unkempt hair, stained clothing, and trail-worn shoes.....I want to tell you that they really stood out in the crowd, but the truth is that we ALL stood out! The service was simple and beautiful. It took me a while to reaize what was missing in the sermon....it was condemnation! A lifetime spent in Protestant churches has me doctrinated to the finger-pointing most churches do. There was no threats of eternal damnation or judgements of other people here, it was just about how they could each deepen their personal relatioship with God.   I have to tell you, it was beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, however,...the most wonderful aspect of the service was the singing! The church does not believe in musical instruments in the service, so all hymns are sung acappela. And the entire congregation sings in four-part harmony.   It was.... no exaggeration.... like listening to angels sing.   The service ended much to quickly and we all found ourselves visiting in the santucary. Many of the women that we had not met earlier took the opportunity to come over and greet us. To a person, they were all so friendly that when we left, I felt like I   was leaving a room of new friends! The Swarey Family invited Bumpkin, myself, and Deteour to their home for dinner, so they piled us in their van and off we went. They live on a dairy farm nestled in the Virginia countryside. There are six daughters and a son who lives in South Carolina in this family. Mrs. Swarey had spent the day before preparing a huge meal, so we all went out to the deck to eat.   Now, the meal was wonderful!! But, the company was the highlight of the day! Bumpkin and I traded stories of the trail with the families stories of the dairy farm, and we all spent much of the meal laughing like old friends.   Afterwards, I was helping to dry the dishes when Karen, one of the daughters said that it was milking time, and that I should go watch.   My face lit up and I ran to the barn! Three of the girls were each at a milking station and the cows came in one by one to be milked. This was utterly fascinating! (Don't you love the way I avoided saying that it was 'udderly' fascinating!!).   Th!ere were about six kittens running around between our legs as these huge Holstein cows came lumbering in. After cleaning them thoughorly and squirting a little of the milk out, the women fastened the milkers to each cow with a suction-y sound.   I wanted to pet the cows, but the girls explained that they wern't very used to being petted and that they might not like it. :) But they each took turns letting me milk the cows and fasten on the suction-y thing! I was having the time of my life.   And I was filled with a world of respect for this family. They showed us where all the milk is collected and explained that it ends up at the Krogers across the mountain. I just wish that all of the people that go into that Krogers to buy milk could know what hard work and pride goes into each gallon!   As Rusty came to pick us up, all the women gathered under a tree so that we could take their picture. The sky was bright blue, the grass was a rich green, and the cows were a vivid black and white. Standing in front of this backdrop was five of the strongest, kindest women I have ever met dressed simply in the colors of the rainbow.   It is an image that I will carry forever. The day ended with Rusty delivering us and our packs to Waynesboro so that we ould hike into Shenandoah National Park tomorrow morning. I called my parents, and mom said, "So, you took a zero day today?". I hesitated.....technically, yes, we had not hiked any miles, but I had a very hard time considering it a zero day. I had been welcomed into the hearts and home of so many people! And I had been exposed to a way of life that is so different than mine! One of the last things Mrs. Swarey said when we left was that people that were not Amish did not understand them and were reluctant to interact with them. She said it was so nice to talk to us, because of just that. She says that people don't realize that they are just normal people like everyone else. Well, I am not sure about that....they seem to have bigger hearts than many people,.... but I did learn today that even though we may look like we come from completely different ends of the spectrum, all it takes is an o!utstretched hand and a warm smile to show us our commonalities. I just can't call that a zero day. :)