Jeremiah was up early to do his chores and visit with his new horse. He wanted to think of a very good name. He ran out to the barn, but even though it was five thirty, Jacob and Matthew were already there doing the work.
“Guder mariye,” Jeremiah yelled happily while jumping around. “Where’s my horse?”
“He is in my barn,” Matthew answered, “and you must not be so excited around him. He is very young remember and will be easily frightened.”
“Have you thought of a name?” Jacob asked him.
“No,” he answered slowly, “but I’m still thinking. It must be something very special.”
While the men finished feeding the animals and milking the cow, Jeremiah ran to gather the eggs and check to see that the hogs were fed. He ran into the house with a basket full of fresh eggs.
“Mamm,” he yelled, “can we have scrambled eggs and pancakes?”
“Oh, my darling little man, when are you going to learn how to talk without yelling? I can hear you very well.”
“I am just so happy that I can not help it.”
She hugged him and as usual spoke a prayer of thanks for him and thinking that she still loved Adam.
“Mamm, will you get married? Tobias Hershberger’s wife died and he then married Marcella Lepman.”
“Tobias had four small children that needed a mother. You and I are doing just fine together. And I have my daed and bruders to help as well as two sisters. I loved your daed so much that no other man could take his place in my heart.”
“You also have Grossmuder Startz, and all the Kime family.”
“Yes, I know, and I am so thankful to have the blessing of loved ones. Now we must eat and get ready for church. We meet at the Klopfensteins today. Matthew and Deborah will pick us up at seven forty-five.”
Before church everyone was asking about Jenna Mae and saying they were praying for her. Maeve and Alicia had stayed at home with her. She would not admit it, but she was getting weaker. All of the rest knew the time was near to release her to claim her mansion with the Lord as she worded it.
At eight the service began and would continue until eleven. Isaac Slabough led the singing. Pastors Amos Snader and Joseph Lehman had prepared their sermons and were anxious to get started. Deacon Moses Verkler, now very old and frail, stood to give a few announcements and to ask for help for a church member.
Moses Yoder had been the Bishop for some time and was getting too old to carry the burden. They knew they would need to vote on a new Bishop soon. Moses just sat and smiled because he was going deaf.
When the time would come to select a new Bishop, the church members were asked to write a name on a slip of paper that they recommended. The present Bishop, Deacon and Pastors selected four of the names that were given most often. A Bible verse, Acts 1:21-26, was written on a slip of paper. The disciples voted and selected a man to replace Judas, therefore, the Amish were going to select another man to replace the Bishop. The Bible verse would be placed in a hymn book. Three other empty books would be placed beside it. No one knew which book held the verse. The four men selected would step forward and pick up a hymnal. The one holding the Bible verse would be the new Bishop by God’s choice.
After the service the ladies hurried to prepare the food and the men gathered outside to talk, even though it was cold. October was never a warm month. The talk was of the election coming in the United States, for President and other officers, and how it would affect their taxes.
After a delicious, filling meal of ham, meat loaf, chicken, pickled beets, squash, green beans, potatoes, strawberry rhubarb pie with coconut cake and almond joy cake. Beverages were as usual, coffee, tea, milk, water.
Charity helped clean while the men put the benches back on the hauling wagon. Deborah complained of a stomach ache and sat down a lot. No one minded, but Charity kept a worried eye on her.
On the way home, Deborah cried out with a pain in her lower back and in her stomach. Matthew did not want to run the horse, but hurried as fast as he thought safe. He was extra careful watching for English cars.
They arrived at the Startz home and Lawrence ran to help unhitch the horse and rub her down. Just as Matthew was almost carrying Deborah and helping her in the house, her water broke on the front porch. She was so embarrassed, but Charity assured her it was natural. Jeremiah was bug-eyed at the happenings. He had never experienced such a thing.
Matthew was going around in a whirl of decisions. Should he risk rushing Deborah to the hospital or should he call for a midwife? The baby was early.
Would there be time for the hospital? Charity took charge and ran to a neighbor to take Deborah in their car to the hospital. Lawrence would stay at home with Jeremiah, his mother and the girls. Jeremiah was full of questions and very frustrated because no one had time or care to sit and explain things to him. He decided he would just go outside and go away.
What Matthew and Charity did not yet know was that when Deborah gave birth to a beautiful eight pound six ounce girl, Jenna Mae went to meet her Creator and Jeremiah had wandered off and was lost.
Maeve ran to tell the Bishop, crying all the way. She stopped to tell a couple of women who would come help prepare the body. The women would wash the body and the hair. They would place a white dress on her or the one in which she was married. A white prayer kapp would be placed on the bun on the back of her head. No cosmetics or jewelry. There is no embalming.
The men would make a plain pine box (coffin) for her with nothing on it and no lining. The front room, where she had her bed, would be cleared of all furniture except for a table for the coffin to lie on. It was standard practice to have a wake and a funeral within three days.
People would come bringing food. This would be the first of three viewings. On the second day again food would be brought and there would be a service. The Pastors would read Bible verses followed by silent prayer. The Bishop would give a short sermon on their belief in eternity and the after life.
The name of the deceased would not be spoken and there was no eulogy or singing. People would file past to look at the body. Parents would sometimes lift children so they could see.
The coffin is closed and placed on a special black wagon pulled by black horses. The black buggies sometimes line up for a mile. Police help with the traffic. If the Amish Cemetery is a distance, special permission is given to use a black English hearse. Grave markers are wooden with nothing written on them. Wood is used because it will rot in time showing that life is not long. The church keeps a directory of the place of graves in case someone wants to visit there in the future. The family rarely goes back because they believe that everything is in God’s hands.
At the grave service there is no singing and there has been no music all these days. Bible verses are quoted; sometimes the words of a song are read. The coffin is opened for one last viewing. Men place ropes around the coffin and place it in a bigger wooden box. There are no flowers or any other worldly items. Just dirt over the plain grave. The men fill in the grave. The women have again brought food and all go back to the home of the deceased to eat together
Deborah was kept in the hospital for a couple of days. When the neighbor brought Matthew and Charity home about five o’clock, they were shocked to hear Jenna Mae had died while they were gone. When Charity hunted for Jeremiah, and no one had seen him for almost three hours, she was beside herself. She forgot everything but finding her precious son.
The women had come to help wash the body and dress it for viewing searched. The men rode out in all directions to find Jeremiah. Charity was torn between fright at what might happen to him and anger that he would put them all through this.
It began to get dark and cold. Everyone was very concerned for fear he had been abducted or hit by a car and was lying in a ditch. They checked the river behind Charity’s house, but no little boy.
Anthony Zook didn’t help when he remarked, “Thank God it is too cold for poisonous snakes to be out, but there is a gang of rogue dogs running around stealing chickens and once was after my little pigs. They could tear a small boy apart.”
Fortunately Charity didn’t hear him or she would have been crazy with worry. She was in a buggy with Nadine and Benjamin Lapp calling out for Jeremiah as they drove up one country road after another.
Everyone gathered back at the Startz home for hot chocolate, biscuit, egg and bacon sandwich and to warm up and rest. Some of the men were still out on horseback hunting off the road.
Buckley Yoder, riding his favorite horse, a chestnut Arabian stallion named Chief Warrior, found Jeremiah lying in the Snader corn field fast asleep. He had twisted his ankle and cried himself to sleep. Buckley carefully lifted him on the horse in front of him and hurried to the Startz home. Charity was so relieved to see her son that she fainted for the first time in her life.
Matthew, Lawrence, Jacob and Joshua sat Jeremiah down and gave him a good talking. They knew Charity would not approve because she did nothing but scold him a little. The men thought he needed a good spanking, but they waited for Charity to stir. Jeremiah was properly disciplined because he had not known such a scolding before. He was embarrassed and half way frightened. His heart was heavy because his loved ones were not happy with him. And his ankle hurt.
They all waited until Charity could be with him to tell him of his Grossmudder Startz death.
Charity came into the room, wild-eyed with grief. “Oh, Jeremiah. How could you do this to us? I was so worried; everyone was worried. People have been out looking for you when they needed to be home milking cows, feeding animals and taking care of their children. Please tell me why you disappeared and caused so much trouble for everyone.”
By this time Jeremiah was sobbing. “I am so sorry, mamm. I did not mean to cause trouble, but no one was paying attention to me and would not talk to me and explain what was going on. Grossmudder Startz is so sick, then tante Deborah peed all over the porch and everyone got excited and rushed around. You left with oom Matthew and did not say a word to me.”
Joshua took Jeremiah on his lap. “Jeremiah, tante Deborah did not pee on the porch. The water that was in the sack carrying the baby broke and the baby was ready to be born.”
“But she went to the hospital to find a baby.”
“Oh, dear,” Charity wailed, “I must have failed in my teaching. Come to think of it, I have never discussed this with him.”
“For goodness sakes,” barked Lawrence, “the boy lives on a farm. Surely he has seen the birth of an animal.”
“I think not. I have always been careful to shield him from it.”
“What about an animal being born?” Jeremiah asked puzzled.
Noah Kime, Joshua’s brother, happened to be in the room. “I have a cow that will be giving a late birth in a few days. He is welcome to watch that.”
“Yes! Oh, yes. May I mamm?”
“I do not think so. You are too young.”
Joseph Startz laughed loudly. “I was younger than Jeremiah when I saw the birth of a horse and a cow. He is not too young.”
Jacob turned quickly on Joseph. “Have you forgotten so soon that we have a grief here?”
“No. Sorry daed.”
“What grief is he talking about mamm?”
Charity took a deep breath and hugged Jeremiah on her lap. “Grossmudder Startz went to Heaven tonight to live with your daed.”
“When will she be back?”
“There is no coming back. They live in Heaven and wait on us to get old and join them.”
“Will I go to Heaven and see them when I get old?”
“Yes, my little man, you probably will -- when you get old.”
“Will you go with me mamm?”
“Oh, Jeremiah, I will probably be there before you because I am older than you are.”
“But Mamm, you have got to wait on me,” he said excitedly.
“Do not worry about it now. That will come many years from now. Get down now and we need to go home. I will return early tomorrow morning Daed. Or do you need me for something now?”
“I love you, daughter, but Alicia, Maeve and Joseph are here. I think Lawrence is staying, also.”
“All right. Jeremiah, why are you limping?”
“I jumped over the ditch to get into the Snader’s corn field and hurt my ankle.” He began to limp more realizing that she was concerned and he could get more attention.
Lawrence offered to give him a piggy-back ride home, which he gladly accepted. Charity’s heart was filled with grief and could not laugh with them, but she was relieved that Jeremiah was home safe. She loved her mother and would miss her, but she was glad her mother was not suffering. They believed in Revelations 21:4 “There will be no more tears, sorrow, suffering, pain or grief.”
Charity started to give Jeremiah his usual bath, but he stopped her.
“Mamm, I am big enough now to give myself a bath. I will do a good job, too.”
Charity was shocked and a little hurt. Her baby was growing up and she wanted him to stay little for a longer time. She knew this was impossible.
“Yes, my little man. I know you will do a good job; behind your ears and around your neck as well as your toes.” She tickled him and had him laughing as he went to take his bath.
He came down with his hair still damp wearing his nightshirt, a house coat and bedroom slippers. Charity was pleased that he had remembered to wash his hair.
“Mamm, can I read from the Biewel tonight? You said I am the man of the house.”
“May I,” she corrected him. “Of course you may,” she said, reaching to draw him on her lap.
“No, mamm, I am too big to be sitting on your lap now,” he said with a great deal of importance.
Her heart sunk. Already she was losing her baby. With tears in her eyes she asked him what he was going to read.
“Well, I like a lot of verses, but I think I will read Psalm 23.”
“That is an excellent selection.”
He read with a lot of importance because he loved to read and he was a good reader. He finished and they had prayer.
“Mamm, do you think we can talk about my daed and Grossmudder?”
“What would you like to talk about?”
“Can we just remember? I would like to hear about daed while I am holding his picture that Grossmudder painted for me. Then tell me stories about when you were little with Grossmudder.”
Charity chocked back the tears and talked with him for over half an hour.
“You little minx. You have talked past your bed time. Get up to bed.”
“Mamm, I think I have finally thought of a name for my horse.”
“Marvelous. What did you decided upon?”
“I would like to name him Adam J. That way it would be about both my daed and my Grossmudder.”
“I think that would be a splendid name.” She tucked him into bed and pulled the covers up. When she stooped to kiss his cheek, he protested that he was too old for that.
“I know you love me and I love you, but we can love each other without hugging and kissing. But I see oom Matthew and tante Deborah kissing. Oh, I forgot. What did they name the baby? Was it a boy?”
“They have not decided for sure, but I think they will name her Jenna Louise after both Grossmudders. Matthew’s mother Jenna and Deborah’s mother, Louise.”
“What will she be to me?”
“She will be your cousin and you will be big enough to help take care of her and teach her all good things.”
“That is very nice,” he yawned, “but why didn’t they get a boy? He would have been more fun.” He was asleep before Charity could leave the room.