ANNA'S POST

As you know my Mother passed away - and my Father was over to our house with a book that had been my Mother's.  He said he tried to give it to Hannah, but when she saw what was inside, told my Father that I should have it.  Right after Mother died, he couldn't read any of the diaries she wrote.  My Mother use to write in her diary about every day.  Maybe about the weather, crops, one of us children, some place we went, a passing, maybe a prayer or saying that she heard and enjoyed, etc.  So when Father opened this one that is what he thought it was.  But it wasn't .....

What my Father had found was the book my Mother wrote with all her remedies in it.  I never knew there was such a book or that my Mother had done this.  My Father said he didn't either.  Oh, he would see my Mother write in the evening or sometimes early morning in one of her books, but just assumed it was her diary. She had several of these books that she wrote in, but Father just assumed what they are.  He started reading them and came across this one.  Men or at least all the men I know consider remedies - women's work. So this book was a women's book.

I started learning medicine from my Mother.  Not knowing she wrote her knowledge in a book, I would write them down.  Sometimes, in a hurry, I would not get all that my Mother did.  Sometimes she would try one thing and if that didn't work try something else.

Hannah was closer to my Mother than I was.  It's not that my Mother loved Hannah more than me or me more than her.  It's just that Hannah was more the type of daughter an Amish Mother would like.  Hannah loved to cook and bake - where I do it -but could think of things I'd rather do.  Hannah enjoys sewing - again I do it because I have to not because I want to.  Hannah would rather clean her house than work it the fields or barn.  I would rather be in the fields or the barn than clean my house.

So when it came to medicine, Mother wanted to teach Hannah.  Hannah had no desire to learn.  I wanted to learn. My Mother taught me, but she would rather have had Hannah.  To this day, Hannah only uses remedies when she has too.  If she can get me to do it, she is much happier.

Over the years, I learned what I could from my Mother.  I learned from other Amish ladies.  I learned from Grandmother Olive.  Amish and Mennonite ladies talking together sometimes pass remedies on that have worked for them.  I am  grateful that our son John's wife Sarah wants to learn. I am teaching her what I know.

I am getting like Elmer - off course.  So this book means so much to me.  Some of the remedies are in my Mother's best writing.  Some, you can see, were written in hurry.  Some of these have been passed from my Grandmother to my Mother, which I didn't know.  It also tells what goes with what illness or situation.  This book means so much to me.  I am leaning so many things I didn't know.  Remembering some good times.

It is also a view into my Mother.  She wrote all this so it could be passed on.  So others would know what she did.  To help others in our world.  This book makes her close to me even though she is with the Lord.

She also had some medicine sayings in there:

God cures: the doctor get the credit.

It is easy for a man in health to preach patience to the sick.

Causing a symptom to disappear is very seldom the cure of any human infirmity.  The true course is to prevent the symptom.

The wise for cure on exercise depend, God never made His work for man to mend.

Who goes to bed supperless, all night tumbles and tosses.

I have lots more of these so I may put some in time to time.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Anna