She works at my local "Publix" Supermarket
She works at my local Publix Supermarket. She has lovely eyes and a ready smile. You cannot miss her, for she wears a long skirt, a black apron and a black headscarf. That’s not the Publix Uniform. I “knew” that it was a religious dress.
Sarasota is a home to many Mennonites and Amish in their distinctive dress. They came here first to farm the lands (Amish were especially good at growing celery).
Now they are a settled population and we are used to seeing Amish men with their long beards, and Amish women with their long skirts (riding huge tricycles rather than using horse and buggy as they do in Lancaster County PA).
And we also see young Amish or Mennonites in their conservative dress - cruising down the street on skate-boards.
Some of the Mennonites are “snow birds” - going up north for the summer and returning here for the winter. There is a special Church for them - the Mennonite Tourist Church.
The year-rounders own some good Restaurants, for instance “Yoders” where you can eat the best pies in the County; and “Big Olafs” with ice-cream “to die for”. Never open on Sundays.
But the woman at the supermarket is not in Amish or Mennonite attire.
Yesterday she sat outside Publix as she took her break. I greeted her and smiled. She smiled back - a smile from the heart, and I said “may I ask you a question?”.
“You may ask me anything" : she said. I responded “To what Christian denomination do you belong, are you Amish or Mennonite?”.
“I am not Muslim” she said. “Of course” I said, “I know that”.
“Well” she said, “some shoppers just walked by me and said something about Muslims”.
Then she added, “I am not Amish or Mennonite, I am Hutterite”.
“Ah, Jacob Hutter” I said. She was surprised. “You know about him?”
I told her that I was a retired Pastor, and she reminded me that Hutterites are not directly related to Amish and Mennonites, but that they share a similar view of the Christian Faith.
Hutterites live in communities - “ colonies” they call them or “leuts”.
I went into Publix and bought a few items. When I left she was still on that bench.
“Bless the Lord O my soul” I said.
“And all that is within me bless his holy name” she replied.
You can read more about Hutterites at
http://www.hutterianbrethren.com/hutter.htm
Sarasota is a home to many Mennonites and Amish in their distinctive dress. They came here first to farm the lands (Amish were especially good at growing celery).
Now they are a settled population and we are used to seeing Amish men with their long beards, and Amish women with their long skirts (riding huge tricycles rather than using horse and buggy as they do in Lancaster County PA).
And we also see young Amish or Mennonites in their conservative dress - cruising down the street on skate-boards.
Some of the Mennonites are “snow birds” - going up north for the summer and returning here for the winter. There is a special Church for them - the Mennonite Tourist Church.
The year-rounders own some good Restaurants, for instance “Yoders” where you can eat the best pies in the County; and “Big Olafs” with ice-cream “to die for”. Never open on Sundays.
But the woman at the supermarket is not in Amish or Mennonite attire.
Yesterday she sat outside Publix as she took her break. I greeted her and smiled. She smiled back - a smile from the heart, and I said “may I ask you a question?”.
“You may ask me anything" : she said. I responded “To what Christian denomination do you belong, are you Amish or Mennonite?”.
“I am not Muslim” she said. “Of course” I said, “I know that”.
“Well” she said, “some shoppers just walked by me and said something about Muslims”.
Then she added, “I am not Amish or Mennonite, I am Hutterite”.
“Ah, Jacob Hutter” I said. She was surprised. “You know about him?”
I told her that I was a retired Pastor, and she reminded me that Hutterites are not directly related to Amish and Mennonites, but that they share a similar view of the Christian Faith.
Hutterites live in communities - “ colonies” they call them or “leuts”.
I went into Publix and bought a few items. When I left she was still on that bench.
“Bless the Lord O my soul” I said.
“And all that is within me bless his holy name” she replied.
You can read more about Hutterites at
http://www.hutterianbrethren.com/hutter.htm
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