“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
~ Genesis 8:22
While most of us are busy making plans for Labor Day fun and fellowship with family and friends, with some getting our children and/or grandchildren ready for a new school year or settled into college dorms, Amish farmers are busy with the fall harvest. It’s also that wondrous time to visit the local orchard for fruit to make applesauce and apple butter, and to bake delicious Dutch apple pies and apple strudel. Grapes are ripe for the picking, soon to be crushed into sweet grape juice to be canned and stored in the cold cellar for the winter. My jovial Amish lady friends say, “Yous can never have enough grape juice on hand.”
Meanwhile, the corn harvest is in full swing, clearing the fields and creating a sense of vast openness beneath the sapphire September skies. And over near Ella Mae Zook’s Dawdi Haus, marigolds and zinnias bloom brightly, oblivious to any potential frost. This time of year in Amish country, a few farm auctions are also taking place, and silos are being filled with grain. And die Youngie (the youth) gather for potato-picking contests in the evenings, making the work of the spud harvest oodles of fun.
The annual harvest is a wonderful-good reminder of the predictability of the changing seasons and the God-given blessing of abundance, both physical and spiritual. “The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest,” Psalm 85:12 assures us.
But without workers, there can be no harvesting. Amish families and communities gather willingly, even eagerly, to help. In the same way, those who know and walk with our Savior, Jesus, gladly offer time and energy for the spiritual harvest by sharing about His grace and unfailing love, daily living in a way that demonstrates that truth and love to our corner of the world.
Blessings for autumn and always,
—Beverly Lewis
1) In just ONE month, The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook, 20th Anniversary edition will release on October 1. You can still preorder for a 40% discount and FREE shipping prior to the release date (US orders only) from my friends at Baker Book House. (What a great time to cash in on this terrific price for birthday and Christmas gift giving!)
2) I'm happily reviewing the edit for my next fiction project, coming fall 2025. The Christmas Houseis set in Hickory Hollow, the heart of Amish farmland, with Ella Mae Zook giving wise advice to twenty-two-year old Liz Lantz—who owns a bustling buggy tour business—as Christmas nears. Old Order Amish Christmas traditions abound, and to Liz’s surprise, a sweet love story begins to unfold. And a bit of chaos, too, when an Englisher family decorates their farmhouse to the hilt for the holidays right in the middle of the small Amish village. More about all of that soon!
3) "Teacup of Cheer" is our brand new Amish Cheer encouragement card, friends. Place your order at my secure website here: www.amishcheer.com.
The kind remarks I receive from you via my website (www.beverlylewis.com) and on Facebook are true blessings to me. Thank you, thank you for reading the books of my heart for all these 30+ years, dear friends!
