The service and burial of Jenna Mae was attended more than others had been. English and Amish participated because everyone knew her and loved her. Too, the English had a great deal of respect for Charity. They knew her and liked her through her business at the store. More than two hundred people came to the house to eat together.
The weeks flew by and Thanksgiving was the next Thursday. Charity was feeling very sad because she remembered what delicious, huge meals her mother always cooked and had an open door policy for anyone who wished to eat with them.
She talked to Matthew and Lawrence about the dinner. They agreed that everyone would come to Charity’s for dinner as it would be too sad for her daed to have it at his house. Alicia, Maeve, Deborah and Mariah Slabough who was the girl Lawrence was preparing to marry, would help. Everyone would furnish some of the food and the majority of it would be cooked at Charity’s.
The Kime family and the Slaboughs would come by later for dessert and beverage. Charity asked Matthew and Lawrence to carry in the big picnic table for the back yard and set it in a corner for the children. She rolled back the wall between the kitchen and the sitting room and placed a longer table beside the kitchen table.
She did not care if people frowned at her. She was going to break tradition and have everyone eat together instead of the men eating first and then the women. Matthew, Lawrence and Joseph did not care, but they knew their daed, being old traditionalist, would be upset. They all knew how much he loved Charity though and thought she would be able to carry it off.
Charity had ironed lace table cloths to place over the plain white cloths. She also ironed the white cloth napkins. China and glasses were polished until everything was shining. She tied a big apron around Jeremiah and let him polish the tableware. He felt very big and important.
She had washed windows, polished furniture and mopped floors until she was so worn out she was afraid she might not be able to do much for the dinner. The night before the dinner she made eight dozen yeast rolls, one hundred cookies, a big bowl of potato salad and Jeremiah’s favorite Banana Split cake. She was up early and did the outside chores, then hurried in, washed and put a twenty pound turkey with stuffing in it in the oven. While that was baking she made the dressing and a jello salad.
The table was groaning with turkey with stuffing and dressing, ham, fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, pickled beets, deviled eggs, coleslaw, squash and green beans. The yeast rolls with homemade butter were delicious. There was bread pudding, the Banana Split cake, jello, coconut cake, banana pudding and the cookies. Hot cider, buttermilk, sweet milk, coffee and water were offered.
After Joshua asked a blessing, they all ate as if they had not eaten for days. Charity had announced, “Sitz and eat yourself full,” and they took her at her word.
The Kimes brought pecan pies and apple pies. All of this was quickly devoured. The children ran out to play marbles, jump rope and tag. The men settled with coffee to talk while the women cleaned up.
Charity took Alicia aside to talk to her about rumspringa. Alicia would soon be eighteen and maybe she would have a boyfriend and do all that she wanted to do. The next year she could participate in rumspringa which was a year in which the young people could do as the English did and could even go outside their community and live as the English. They had a free choice then of staying outside and living as English or joining the church and be baptized. If they choose to live outside they could never live at home again. The family would have to give them up. If at any time they came back and asked the church to forgive them and allow them to be baptized, they would be welcomed. Alicia was older and shy.
Even though she missed her mother, Charity was relieved that the Thanksgiving dinner went so well and that her daed was settling down. She knew his heart was still hurting because he and Jenna Mae had married for love and had remained faithful all through the years.
Now she had to start planning for Christmas and all the gifts she would make. There would be a long list of relatives and friends. The Amish did not put much thought into special Christmas gifts. They felt the time should be given to remembering the birth of Jesus and what He had meant to the world. They knew it was not His actual birth date, but it is a remembrance of Him.
Joshua and Jacob had taken time to teach Jeremiah how to take care of his horse. He squatted down and got in everyone’s way trying to see how the farrier trimmed hooves. Joshua put Jeremiah on one of his horses to start training him how to ride properly and care for his horse before and after the ride.
Christmas Eve with snow on the ground. Some child in school had told Jeremiah that at midnight the animals would talk and praise God. He was determined to stay up and go to the barn to see for himself. Charity had a difficult time convincing him that it was just a story. He fell asleep on the living room couch any way. He was getting too heavy for her to carry so she left him there.
“Mamm! You let me sleep through the animals talking and now I will never get to hear them.”
“Never Jeremiah? Are you saying you will not live any more?” she teased him.
He grinned. “Aww, you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I know my darling, little man. Now we must do our chores, have breakfast and prepare for church. We always have a Christmas service.”
“We go every Christmas and they say the same things. How Jesus was born and why we should worship him. Can we stay at home today? I would rather go sledding or ice skating on the river.”
“Oh, Jeremiah. Your daed would be so disappointed in you if he could hear you say that. He loved to go to church and learn about Jesus.”
“But he is not here to listen to me. I do not want to go to church.”
“Jeremiah, I would fail as a good mother if I did not take you to church and help you to learn how to be a good Amish Christian. Grossmudder Leah, and the Grossfadders will be expecting to see you, not to mention all your uncles and aunts.”
“You are going to make me go I know.”
“Make you? I hope you will be man enough to go without me having to make you.”
“Oh, all right,” he gruffed, kicking his shoe on the floor and then against the stove. “We need to do our chores.”
“We sure do,” she answered cheerfully as she grabbed a shawl to put over her head and shoulders. “Let us go.”
Jeremiah was right. The pastors read the story in Luke. They had sung and had several prayers. Jeremiah was beginning to wiggle when the final prayer was said.
“Come on, Jerry,” Charity was surprised to hear Mark Hershberger call.
He was gone before she could stop him. She sighed and went to the kitchen to help the women prepare the noon meal.
Back at home, Charity asked her son. “Did I hear Mark call you Jerry?”
“Ja mamm. That is what I am called at school and I like it.”
“Did you remind them that your name is Jeremiah, not Jerry.”
“They know. I like to be called Jerry because it makes me feel like one of the big boys.”
Charity could see she would loose the so-called battle, so she stopped talking about it. She knew her son would rather fit in with the rest of the children, and she did understand.
Jeremiah had brought her a profile shadow picture of him that had been made at school. She made him special shirt and pants to be worn while he was learning to ride in Joshua’s indoor ring.
In the past Joshua and Adam had planned on raising horses and training them. They had built the indoor ring so they could work in any kind of weather.
Noah Kime had sent word to Matthew that his cow would give birth just any time. If he wanted to bring Jeremiah, he would be welcome. Matthew talked to Charity who did not like the idea.
“Sister dear. All farm children learn about the mating of animals and birth. Jeremiah is certainly old enough to see for himself. If Adam were here, he would have given him the chance before now. You hover over him too much. I know why you do it. Because you miss Adam and he is of Adam’s blood. You can not protect him all his life from knowing the good and the bad in the world. We need to give him the experience and be with him to show him what is right and wrong.”
Charity could not answer him because she was trying very hard to keep from crying. Finally she spoke. “My head tells me you are right, bruder, but my heart wants to keep him my little boy as long as possible.”
He hugged her. “I know schwesechder. Your big bruder understands. Believe me, I know how you feel, but you must allow him room to grow or he will resent you and maybe become a big problem.”
“What do you mean a big problem?” she asked worriedly.
“Resenting Amish rules. Getting into all kinds of trouble. Maybe even making the decision to leave home when he is in rumspringa.”
“He would never do that. He knows how much I love him.”
“You keep treating him like a baby and he will resent it.”
She sighed deeply. “All right. I do not like it, but take him if you will.”
Jeremiah was so excited that he kept bouncing on his seat and talking fast and loudly. “How will we know when the baby cow will be here? Will I get to see it being brought in?”
“Settle down, Jeremiah. You will frighten my horses and cause them to run away with us. I know you would think it is exciting, but we might wreck and hurt the horses or hurt us. Yes, you will get to see the calf being born.”
“Why do you keep saying being born, oom Matthew? The doctor brings the baby cow to the mother I think.”
Matthew laughed. “You will soon know. I hope you do not get sick. Your mamm would be angry with me.”
“Why would I get sick?”
“Stop asking so many questions. I know you are excited, but you will soon know.”
When they pulled in to great oom Noah’s barn lot, Jeremiah jumped down ready to run into the barn.
“Jeremiah!” Matthew spoke sharply. “Wait on me. The mother cow might get frightened at you running in. She does not know you and she might think you will do her some harm.”
“But I will not hurt her, and I want to see.”
“You can see. Remember, talk softly and do not run. We do not want to upset the mother cow.”
Jeremiah crowded in the stall door between Noah and Matthew. “Who is he?” he asked in a whisper.
“Shhh. That is Doctor Retstatt. He is going to help the mother have her baby.”
Jeremish was so excited, he forgot to be quiet. “Where is the baby? He is not holding one that I can see.”
Noah squatted down beside Jeremiah to explain. “The baby is in the mother’s stomach. When God is ready for it to be born, He will bring the baby out.”
Matthew shook his head. “Charity has not done the right thing keeping him from learning about the farm animals.”
Suddenly the cow gave a mooo of pain. Jeremiah nearly jumped out of his skin. “What is wrong? She sounds like she is hurting.”
“She is hurting. Be very quiet and step in with me beside this stall wall and look what the doctor is doing.” Noah took Jeremiah’s hand and stepped inside the stall with him.
With round eyes Jeremiah looked at the cow with her sides heaving and straining. Suddenly a sack burst out of her and blood and fluids gushed out.
Jeremiah grabbed Noah’s leg and held on tightly. As the calf started to be born, he shook as if he were scared stiff.
“What is that? What is wrong?”
“Shh. That is the baby calf being born. It is time for it to come out of the mother’s stomach now.”
Jeremiah felt very sick. He could hardly stand it. He was itching, sweating and breathing fast. “Do people babies come out like that? Did I come out of mamm like that?”
“Yes, Jeremiah, you did.”
“Did mamm cry out in pain like that?”
“She probably did.”
Jeremiah turned and started to run. Matthew caught up with him. ‘Where are you going?”
“Let go of me. I am going home. I have to. I need to see mamm.”
Matthew picked him up under one arm like a sack and thanked Noah for allowing them to visit. He took Jeremiah out to the buggy and sat him up on the seat. Jeremiah was shaking and looking white. Matthew was afraid he was going to be sick.