ELMER'S ANSWER TO YOUR DWARF QUESTIONS-PART 2

I can't give you a romantic story like you read in all the Amish novels.  To start, when I got to teenage   dating age, my parents got nervous that I might not be able to find someone.  If I did marry, for some reason they thought I would marry another small person.  They didn't tell me that, but through conversations with my sisters and brothers, I found that out.

When I started going to singing and taking ladies home, it seemed like it was a different lady every week or I came home alone.  Some of the ladies, I think, wondered what it would be like going with a dwarf.  I did have a serious lady when I was about 17.  We wanted to get married, but our parents were against it due to age.  It turned our parents were right.  Her and I were not ment for each other and parted ways.  When I got over that lady, I started looking again.

Anna, her sisters and brothers plus her parents moved into our area.  I met Anna at church, weddings, funerals, barn raisings, etc.  but she was not someone I was close to, at that time.  Also, saw her at singing but she had her friends and I mine.  One night on the way to singing, I came across two ladies (my age)  with a buggy along side the road.  It was Anna and her sister Hannah.  Two of her brothers went ahead to singing because they were asked to help with some chores - they took the family buggy.  They girls were left the courting buggy - which they didn't know, had a bad wheel.  Each of the brothers was to take one of the buggies home, with their ladies, and the sisters were to be brought home by their courting fellows.  I took the girls to singing, got one of their brothers and my brothers to repair the buggy.  After singing, I offered to take either both of the ladies or one to their home, but they had rides.  I would see them a church, and singing saying hi and they would like wise to me.

One night, a few months later, I was coming home from singing alone, in the snow and sleet, when I saw this lady charging up the road.  I got ahead of her, stopped and offered her a ride, which she accepted.  I couldn't remember if she was Anna or Hannah, her sister's name.  Finally, I had to ask her and she told me she was Anna.  I listened while she told me that she and her courting fellow had had a disagreement.  So I took her home.  When I got her home, I left her off, she thanked me.  Next singing, I asked if she would like a ride home, she accepted.  I took her the long way home.  Asked her if I could take her for a ride next Sunday, but she said she wanted to wait a while as she wasn't ready for someone now.  I did as she said and four weeks later, I asked her again if she would let me give her a ride on Sunday - she accepted.

After we went together a few weeks, I asked Anna why she chose me.  She told me because I had taken them to singing the night the buggy broke down, helped to fix the buggy and offered them the ride home. Also, that I picked her up on the way home in the snow and sleet.  When she told me to wait, I waited for four weeks.  I asked if my being a dwarf had anything to do with that.  She had to admit that she was curious, but that was not the main reason.  She asked me questions, many the same you asked and I answered them.  As we went together we found we had many things in common - we liked bird watching, we enjoyed Farmers Markets and garage sales, we enjoyed sleds in the winter and more.

We started going together and after a year, started courting.  Instead of sending someone to her Father's door to ask for her hand, I went myself.  He asked me if I could support her and take care of her.  I said yes.  What is funny is that I got upset.  I didn't say or do anything, but was upset.  When my daughter's gentleman came to me and asked if he could marry her, I asked him the same question.  I guess it is a parents question.  At the time, I thought Anna's Father asked because I was a dwarf.  Anna's Father gave me his permission.  We were married at her parents home.  Next year, Lord willing, we will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

What are my hobbies?  I enjoy bird watching, fishing, and hunting.  During the winter, I enjoy reading especially the Bible, and working on the inside of our house.

What do I think about?  I think about if I am pleasing the Lord, my family, my chores and when I can smell it - what Anna is cooking.  Those are the immediate things I think of.  I also think of the church members both young and old, our Bishops, ministers and deacons.  Also, all of you people.

Yes, the word dwarf can be used derogatory terms.  I hope people that use it derogatory will look at that word in different terms.  That is one of the reasons I put on these posts.

I also agree with someone's statement: We are all God's children, whatever size we are.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer

A SPECIAL POST TOMORROW