Amish

This barn photo is really neat. The Amish raise this barn in one day without using nails. They use wooden pegs instead. I have always been fascinated by the Amish. My first experience with the Amish was when my family went to Pennsylvannia (Lancaster County) for a vacation. A few years ago I drove to Ohio (Holmes County) to visit the largest group of Old Order Amish in the United States. I rode in a buggy with an older Amish man and spoke with him about their system of health care and other things. I have read and watch documentaries about the Amish. I had a pen pal once that was Mennonite (similar to Amish). In short, I know a lot about that Amish. I think that I am interested in any group of people that chooses to live simple lives. I have an equal fascination with monks, nuns, ect. The above picture is a photograph by Bill Coleman. I own a copy of it. It is of a wedding scene in January. The Amish get married in houses and you can see in the photo the people walking to the house and their buggies outside. I think it is beautiful.
I met Bill Coleman here at the Coconut Grove art festival. I had seen his photos before and was interested in meeting him. I had bought a puzzle at Christmas time of two Amish girls holding hands and on the box was his website. When I saw he was going to be in Miami I made a point to go and see him. I asked a man in the tent if Bill Coleman was there. He said "no" and then asked me why I wanted to meet him. I told him that I really liked his photos and that I just wanted to let him know that. He didn't say anything, so I just began looking around. Then, the same guy that I had spoken to before came up and tapped my shoulder. He said "I'm Bill Coleman". It was pretty funny. I know that Amish don't like their pictures taken, but apparently Bill Coleman has some deal with a group that in exchange of tasteful pictures that he will give a portion of the proceeds to them for child health care.
You can imagine how I felt hearing about the tragedy in Pennsylvania at the Amish school. It would be tragic in any school, but I especially thought about it because I can not imagine such a thing happening in an Amish community. Let us all pray for those families.