Big Bangs and Amish Britches - Part 3

Big Bangs & Amish Britches: Part III

Swift. The definition of swift is happening fast, acting fast and moving fast. My courtship with the young man in his Amish britches was swift. November 30th, 1991 we rented the movie Dances with Wolves. I really don’t recall much of the movie at all. It was a love story at its core and that definitely worked in my favor. Love was in the air and on the television set too.

Daryl is quiet by nature. I describe him as slow to speak and quick to listen. I love to tell the story about the first time we engaged in conversation. It went something like this: Lee Ann: “Hey, you don’t talk very much do you?” Daryl: *long pause, silence. Lee Ann: waiting for response. Daryl: *still quiet. Lee Ann: waiting for response. Daryl: “Well, if I liked to talk as much as you did, we’d have a problem.” Classic Daryl. And I loved it. Still do.

When you meet “the one” I’m sure it’s different for everybody. For me, I knew. When he looked at me, along with my big bangs, I knew in my heart he was it for me. No one else mattered. He was “the one” I had prayed for, day dreamed about and had hope existed.

We just clicked, Daryl, quiet and full of adventure and me, talkative and spontaneous. And everyday we met; I believe we knew big things were happening between us. December 11th, 1991 we had a conversation about our futures, what we thought of each other and how we imagined we would continue our journeys. I had some crazy ideas. Some of them included far away lands and airplanes. He, of course, was beginning to see he was interested in someone who thought up wild ideas. We both appreciate that about each other, even now. Daryl is not fearful. He is a very brave person.

The question always comes up about Daryl being Amish and how that worked with us dating and having a life together. How did that happen? How did his family feel about? Did he pick you up for dates in a buggy? Is he or you shunned? Are you all Amish? All great questions and all have answers. Well, wait. The question of “are you all Amish” is a ridiculous one. I think it’s kinda obvious we aren’t.

How did it happen? Fate. Destiny. It was meant to be.

How did his family feel about it? They were exactly what you would hope an Amish family would be. They talked with Daryl and expressed their faith and belief according to the Amish way of life and I’m sure they prayed for us. Something I love that Daryl’s Dad has said, “If you’re gonna be Amish, be a good Amish person. Don’t be Amish and look for all the ways you can bend or break the ways of being Amish.” To me, that translates for all of us, “Be what you say you Believe.”

Did he pick me up in a buggy for dates? No, although that would have been cool, literally. He had already decided before meeting me that he was pursuing a different “English” life and he drove a truck. A very scary, rickety truck and no one would ever be able to say I dated him for the vehicle he drove!

Is he or you shunned? The definition of shun is to deliberately avoid somebody. Often within Amish culture shunning is even more than that. It means something more serious and is life changing. I guess you’ll just have to wait til next week and see how this all turns out.

Next week: Part IV of Big Bangs and Amish Britches.