The Amish & the Power of Silence

 

You may have noticed a big gap between blog posts starting around 2020. Well, it wasn’t because of Covid, but my son-in-law passing from cancer, leaving two young sons and my daughter. It was a time of focusing on what’s more important than writing. It was hard to write, something I usually find quite fun. Everything seemed forced and labored. Why? Because I was depressed, pushed down, worried.
The Lord goes before, as He promised, and going to the Amish dry goods store was one of the only places I went when lockdowns came. Oh, and the peace and quite in that store. Most Amish women don’t shout across isles but are quiet, concentrating on their grocery list, as if in a library.
Josh’s cancer treatments began the month before Covid hit, and I craved to go to Smicksburg more, not knowing why. So, I reflected what it was about silence. Amish friends listened to my confusion and pain with a holy hush, as if experiencing it themselves. I came away feeling understood.
These people listened and didn’t give me packaged answers.
“We’re praying for a miracle.”
“Thoughts and prayers.”
I have wonderful friends and family who didn’t act this way, of course, but the Amish culture lifts me in a way like no other. They don’t expect life to be easy. They read about their ancestors who were martyred for their faith. Dare I say they are not entitled? When someone in the Amish community passes, they don’t give answers, but sit with those who grieve. That’s it. They give the gift of their presence in silence. But they used words:
“I’m here for you.”
“I care.”
“I don’t judge you for not believing hard enough for a miracle.”
Like the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.”
As I see so much division in the USA and around the world, we could learn so much from the Amish. Pause and think about what the other person just said. Don’t judge the person but try to understand. If we did this, perhaps the anger would go down because people would feel understood.
We can do all this by just listening, while being silent. It is a gift.

I was looking for a picture to match this post and when my book written in 2021 came up in my file, I was shocked. It's about just what I mentioned about silence. Subconsciously I wrote about a girl being understood while others listened. Oh, my. I do write what I'm going through.
God bless you and I hope to be blogging more!