Married To An Ex Mennonite: Part 3

      Special note! Some of you may notice how delayed this post is. As we move into the nitty gritty of Daniel's expulsion, it must be understood that there is a weight that comes with the memories. It takes emotional energy to relay what happened because the experience of rejection never really ended. This telling is akin to the end of Daniel's experience in the Mennonite world and the beginning of a new kind of experience. The whole world opened up for him in the form of thoughts and ideas, while his family slowly became more and more estranged.

The only known pictures of Daniel in his youth are the ones he saved from old driver's licenses.

Married To An Ex Mennonite: Part 2

       The longer I knew Daniel the more I got to know his family. I fell in love with any of them that would meet me. The first time I met his mother I asked her "What time in your life do you remember most fondly?"  Her happiest time, she said, was when all her children were under one roof! At the time, it warmed my heart and I admired her motherly heart. But later I realized that her words were far from sentimental, sappy recollections of the past. She was remembering her family when it was whole....something it may never be again.

Married To An Ex-Mennonite: Part 1

            I have always had an admiration for those who lived the "plain" lifestyle and devoted their lives to work, family, and God. My mother once remarked that I was born in the wrong century. As a child I couldn't get enough of sewing and canning with my grandmother. A house full of children was always a dream of mine.....and I am blessed to say that childhood dreams can come true!
        When I met Daniel, I met a man in suspenders and a straw hat. He was recently expelled from the Tennessee Churches, a conservative Mennonite group with members mostly in Kentucky and Tennessee. His six sisters had moved out of his house shortly after he was expelled and though he still attended his former community's church meetings, it was not a pleasant or worshipful experience. His isolation was palpable. But he was making his way, forming new friendships and alliances with the rest of our farming community.