JEAN'S POST

After my being on New York State of Mind for several years; I asked Elmer to fill in for me from time to time to give me a break,  I ended leaving Elmer to do the posts most of the time.  Well, now Elmer has asked if I could come back more often to fill in for him from time to time.  I have agreed,  Elmer will still be putting on posts, but I will be on more often.

Michael has been with us since he came up from Florida where Uncle Albert and Aunt Olive were.  Elmer finally got Michael working with him on putting sides on houses and roofs.  Plus. David and I gave him a place in one of our barns where he has set up farming machine repairs.  Some repairs are done in our barn.  Some repairs, Michael takes his tools to their farm and repairs it there. Plus he helps David on the farm.  So, Michael has been making a pretty good income.

Lately, Michael has been going out and telling me he will not be home for dinner.  Some times he leaves out after dinner and does not tell us where we are going.  Being parents, we asked us where he was going and he said here and there.  On a few nights, he has been out working on someone's farm equipment, which is okay with us.  But some nights, especially weekends, he goes after supper and does not come until late.

David and I gave Michael the usual lecture on liquor and drugs.  He says he knows.  We have never smelled  liquor on him.  He has never acted like he was on drugs.  Recently, he told us that he was getting a New York State drivers license.  We reminded him of what happened in Florida.  He said he would not do that again.  David told him, he could not leave a car on our property if he bought one,  Michael said he knew that.  We keep asking when he is going to be baptized into our church.  He says he doesn't know - maybe never.

Michael was born as Englisher.  He came to out home as a Foster Child and we adopted him.  We know that sometimes he wants to be a Englisher and sometimes he wants to be like us.  Our family tries not to push him as it is his decision, but on the other hand we worry.

One evening we had Thomas and Ruth, Edward, Margaret, Michael, David Jr. Susan and Katie for dinner.  I was about dinner and Michael says he has to leave and is out the door.  Now David and I know something is wrong if Michael doesn't eat desert.

Thomas looks at Ruth.  Ruth looks at Edward,  Edward looks at Margaret.  David and I look at each other.  Thomas says to David and I: "You don't know?"  Now in a previous post Thomas and Ruth said this "You don't know" and that's how we found out Edward and Margaret were going together.  Remembering that David says: "Michael is going with someone?"  Thomas says: "You do know." We said, we don't know.

Thomas, Ruth, Edward, Margaret, David and I went into the living room and closed the door.  Susan, Katie and David Jr. were left to do the dishes.  Thomas didn't know where to start.  It seems Michael is going with a lady his age who is what we call progressive Mennonite.  Their dresses are a little shorter than ours, and they drive cars.  Michael met her when he was working on her Father's farm machinery in one of his fields.  When he is not at our house for dinner, he has been invited to her house for dinner.  They have both been to singings - both at our churches and hers.  Sometimes she picks him up and they go get ice cream and talk.  Her parents approve Michael,but he is afraid you won't approve her.  Hadn't Michael mentioned about him building a house on his lot?  Yes, he had but we thought he wanted a farm.  Now we know why he wanted a farm.  As we come out of the living room, we find the other children knew about Michael, too.  How did everyone else know and not us?

That evening, David and I waited up until Michael came home which wasn't too late.  He saw us sitting in the living room and said we knew.  We said yes and tell her about us.  She lives with her parents, besides helping her parents farm, she cleans peoples homes, and helps at their school.  Michael said that she was a foster child and her foster parents adopted her.  He thinks maybe that's what drew them together.  They are either at singing, her parents house or out for ice cream.  We asked him to invite her to our home for dinner which he did.

Michael went and got her for Sunday dinner in our buggy.  After she was introduced she asked if she could help us as Susan, Margaret, Katie and I were in the kitchen.  We told her no and asked Michael to show her around our place.  After dinner she helped us with the dishes.  Michael told us she had been at Edward's house when they built the new barn.  She said she, her mother and sisters were in the kitchen while her brothers and Father had worked on the barn.  There were so many people at that barn raising, you can't always remember who was there.

Since then we have been over to her house and her parents and family have been at our house. We hope that this is the right lady for Michael.  He has been through so much in life.

Be with God,
Jean