Q&A with Cindy Woodsmall
1. Main characters Sadie Yoder and Levi Fisher have no desire to settle down and marry anyone, much to the frustration of their Old Order Amish parents. Why are they both resistant to romance?
As an awkward older teen, Sadie experiences the most embarrassing heartbreak that can happen to an Amish woman. Because of the depth of her humiliation, her ministers and district give her a kind of independence that’s very unusual—and unheard of for females. As the years progress, Sadie thrives in this freedom, loving her life and not wanting anything or anyone to interfere with it. She knows her liberty to live as she does is as easily broken as a pie crust, and she won’t let any man take it from her.
In a different region of Pennsylvania, Levi Fisher deals with wounds too, but not from losing a girl, fiancée, or wife. At twenty-four, he’s never had any of those. He’s never even been in love. But he cared for his sister-in-law as much as he did his own sisters, and when she left his brother and son, Levi was broken. He moved in with his brother and nephew, and the three of them work hard to make that house a home. If his sister-in-law, whom he’d known well and trusted, could leave her husband and baby, Levi has no interest in putting his life in any woman’s hands.
2. Sadie and Levi devise a plan to keep their families from meddling in their lives. Is it common for Amish young adults to delay marriage?
Although it’s not as scandalous now to wait an extra year or two as it was a few years back, Amish are taught from infanthood onward that life is all about family, and to start your own is a sign of adulthood. Their core values begin in Genesis chapter 1, when God says to be fruitful and multiply. Their ideal life plan is not to get an education, become established financially, build equity, and then find someone to marry. Their sole goal is to find someone to share life with, believing that is the most godly path a person can follow. So for someone to delay marriage while living a committed Amish life is unusual.
3. How do Sadie and Levi learn to let go of the past and embrace God’s new plan for their lives?
I think they learn it the way most of us do. Levi and Sadie have good relationships with loved ones who tenderly dare to hold up a mirror in front of each of them. What they see is startling to them, and they have to reassess who they are and who they want to be. Whether it’s in a parent-child relationship or with siblings or cousins or friends or couples, when we see our own hearts through the eyes of love, we change.
4. How do the Amish celebrate Christmas? Are there any unique traditions you found in your research?
I’m sure it won’t surprise you when I say that the Amish use almost no decorations. Most Amish consider such “trappings” a distraction from the story of Christ’s birth.
But for many decades they’ve been making or buying Christmas cards, and they enjoy sending and receiving them. They often hang up the cards throughout their homes as a form of simple holiday trimming. Also, many Amish traditionally put candles in a window and light them after dark, giving the house a warm, homey feel during Christmastime.
Most Amish are comfortable putting candles surrounded by wreaths on surfaces throughout the house. But you won’t find a Christmas tree or stockings hanging inside an Amish home. Based on the second commandment, which says not to make any graven image, there are no Nativity scenes or angel figurines, and definitely no traces of Santa.
Some Amish wrap Christmas presents in beautiful, shiny paper and set them in a special place, like near the hearth, while waiting for Christmas to arrive.
I think the most unique aspect I’ve come across concerning the Amish and Christmas is that the Amish celebrate what they call ZweddeGrischtdaag, which means Second Christmas. Second Christmas is usually celebrated the day after Christmas. Both days are holidays for the Amish. Unlike in our public or private schools, Amish children don’t get a whole week off. The teacher may dismiss them after a half day of school on Christmas Eve, or she/he may not. But they always get Christmas Day and Second Christmas off before school resumes.
5. Have you adapted any Amish traditions in your own Christmas celebration?
Rather than collapsing in exhaustion or just getting together to share leftovers after Christmas Day, my family has begun celebrating Second Christmas too, engaging one another in deep conversation and enjoying a relaxed atmosphere that says that family, not presents or feasts, is what Christmas is all about. We haven’t honed our new tradition well, but our hearts are there.
6. What characteristic of the Amish faith and lifestyle do you most admire? What modern convenience would you find hardest to give up?
I admire that even in the midst of tragedy, Amish men and women know how to grab hold of the peace that passes understanding. As Scripture says in Philippians 4:5-7, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
For over a decade, I’ve seen a lot of turmoil in individual lives and for the Amish community as a whole. But their ability to find peace and refuse to let it go is admirable. Their determination to be a strong and steady support for one another is undeniable.
The second part of your question is really hard to answer. Our lives are built around hundreds of modern conveniences. And truth be told, many Old Order Amish now have some of them, like running water in their homes.
Until we’re tested, I don’t think we really know where our true priorities would lie. But it seems to me the most valuable conveniences are the ones that make it possible to spend more time with and communicate with loved ones, so transportation and cell phones are very important to me. Then again, if all technology were suddenly stripped away, I might have a different answer.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
One
Muffled voices drifted through the living room, but Sadie couldn’t make out the words. She sat in a ladder back, avoiding Daniel’s gaze by staring into a fireplace with its few fading embers. Family members, hers and Daniel’s, peered at her with eyes full of pity and shock.
When Daniel had made his intentions known, folks whispered behind her back that little Sadie Yoder had finally snagged someone’s attention and she better hold on for dear life. She knew that was true, but she hadn’t cared what people thought, not one whit. Daniel Miller had moved to Brim from Tussey Mountain a year earlier, and he’d fallen in love.
With her.
Her, of all people. The one best known for being a quiet stick of a girl who caught no man’s eye.
Every day that passed she’d thought her heart might explode from the joy of falling in love. When he’d asked her to marry him, well, she’d all but fainted from the excitement.
Daniel wasn’t just any man. He was above her in every way. He was handsome and had a deep voice, strong shoulders, and a way of winning people’s respect. At twenty-four, only five years older than she, he already had an established horse-trading business. She’d fully believed in him and felt honored he’d chosen her.
Now…
She lifted her eyes to meet his, and heartbreak stole her breath. If her legs could carry her, she’d get up and walk out.
“Forgive me.” Daniel’s lips barely moved, his whisper meant for no one but her. He looked as shocked and hurt by his behavior as she was.
She turned her attention back to the stone fireplace. It stood silent, the pile of gray-and-black ashes smoldering from a fire that once burned hot. A perfect depiction of her life.
A blur of crisp magenta folds swirled in front of her, and her cousin Aquilla knelt beside her chair. Aquilla’s perfect oval face radiated beauty. Her blond hair framed her head like a halo, and her green eyes were mesmerizing. And all of it was able to steal Daniel’s heart before Sadie caught a hint of what was happening.
“Please, Sadie.”
Please? What was Aquilla thinking? Did she hope Sadie could also be convinced of her lie? Or did she want Sadie to have the power to erase their betrayal? their indulgence? their sin?
Daniel had been a perfect gentleman with Sadie, but what she’d witnessed less than an hour ago proved he was not unfamiliar with a woman’s body. She could still see his hands embracing Aquilla, caressing her in a way that would haunt Sadie for years.
She had invited Aquilla two months ago to come from out of town to help prepare for the wedding. What a fool she’d been.
Aquilla clasped her delicate hands over Sadie’s stained ones. “It wasn’t as it looked. I promise. You misunderstood.”
That was a lie. One Aquilla had already repeated a few times, no doubt hoping it would save her from gossip and from looking like the betrayer she was. Sadie kept her gaze fixed on the fireplace, wishing she could escape like smoke up a chimney. Everyone would leave later, but how many would be unsure of what she’d actually seen? This would be her only chance to defend herself against Aquilla’s lies to Daniel’s family, but the words begged to stay hidden.
A mere hour earlier Sadie had been making last-minute alterations to her wedding dress. As daylight grew faint, she’d needed a new propane tank for the gas pole light in her bedroom. She hadn’t even known Daniel had arrived for a visit. As she’d crossed the backyard, she’d breathed in the fall air and enjoyed the red and yellow leaves of maple and birch trees.
Then she’d opened the shed door. In a moment of time, as quickly as the hope of being loved had come to her, it had fled. Every hope of marrying Daniel shattered. The laughter of their future children silenced.
She’d run back to the house, fleeing a truth she could not escape. Once inside, she’d slammed the door tight, locked it, then fallen against the frame and wept. When she’d looked up, dozens of her relatives and Daniel’s were staring at her. She’d forgotten they were there to help prepare for her and Daniel’s wedding day.
Daniel and Aquilla had pounded on the door, demanding she let them in.
Sadie’s Daed had hurried to her, asking what was going on, and she’d whispered what she’d witnessed. The emotions that crossed her Daed’s face mirrored her own. He’d been the one to encourage the relationship, nudging the two of them together from the moment Daniel had arrived in the community. When Daed had opened the door to Aquilla and Daniel, Sadie had expected their guilt to be evident on their faces. But they’d looked only upset, and Aquilla’s first words were a lie she didn’t even stumble over.
Aquilla’s eyes had glistened with tears, and her angelic face radiated sincerity. “I fell off a stepladder, and he caught me.” She’d turned to face everyone in the room. “She’s insecure about Daniel, imagining her worst fears concerning him.” She’d wiped tears from her face. “Why would I want the only man she’s ever dated when I can date anyone I choose?”
Immediately the heads of loved ones had begun to nod, and murmurs rippled through the room. Daniel had stood by quietly, neither denying nor confirming Aquilla’s account. Her cousin had skillfully planted doubt in everyone’s mind, and in so doing, Sadie felt what little strength she still possessed drain from her. It wasn’t Sadie’s nature to defend herself, to stir anger and resentment when the argument would still leave people unsure of who was right.
If given time, would Daniel take up Aquilla’s lie too?
Sadie closed her eyes, trying to reconcile what was happening with what was supposed to take place tomorrow. She pulled free of her cousin’s hand and rose, hoping her legs would not fail her. Standing mere feet from Daniel, she stared into his eyes, remembering how they’d grown so close over the past months, talking for hours, laughing at things only they shared. She studied him now. Who was this stranger? What did he see when he looked at her? Did his heart break for all he’d forsaken?
He gazed at her. “I swear to you on my life, nothing like this has happened before or ever will again.”
She was tempted to believe him. But how could she be sure? Did he mean what he said, or would he say anything to end this nightmare?
She’d never know.
What she did know was that her family believed she’d remain unwed forever if she didn’t marry Daniel. Even rebellious teens weren’t gawked at or gossiped about like a woman who had never married—at least until the woman was past thirty. Then everyone accepted her fate without further discussion.
Daniel angled his head. “Don’t call off the wedding, Sadie,” he whispered. “It’ll cause a scandal. And there’s no sense in trying to weather that.”
Visions of him with Aquilla tore at her again. His mouth pressed against Aquilla’s, his hands under her dress, roaming over her body. The pain struck again, so deep, so intense, Sadie longed to ease it. She only needed to nod, and he’d embrace her. Relief would rush through him and their families, and everyone would surround her with words of hope and encouragement. Her pain would ease.
But would it ever go away?
She feared not. Doubt would fade when she was in his arms, then grow as bright and scorching as an August sun when she wasn’t.
Could she live with that? The seconds ticked by as she studied him, and anger grew in Daniel’s eyes.
“Despite what you thought you saw,”—Daniel took a step back, talking loudly enough for most everyone to hear him—“Aquilla has told the truth, and I’m begging you not to call off the wedding over a misunderstanding.”
His words hit hard, and she felt the weight of judgment from her family and his bear down on her. Trembling, Sadie struggled to catch her breath. She wasn’t strong enough to cope with a broken heart and the fallout of people’s disappointment in her if she chose to call off the wedding.
But was she strong enough to marry a liar?
