Starring: Galadriel Stineman and Kevin Joy
Released: 2020
Summary: A travel writer leaves her Amish ways behind her, but when she returns home to settle her father's affairs, she is tempted to return to her former lifestyle.
Image: Crown Media
What Is There To Miss?
When Kathy returns to her Arkansas Amish community, she receives an icy reception from everyone but her friend, Hazel, and her childhood friend, Isaac. Her own sister, Miriam, makes it clear to Kathy that she is no longer welcome.
Kathy is a successful writer who has traveled the world, and now she has the chance to be on TV with her boyfriend, Jack.
Hmm...be famous on TV or live with no electricity or indoor plumbing? Be free to roam in a car or airplane, or be confined to the nearby community with only a horse and buggy as a mode of travel?
I don't know about you, but boiling water to dump into an old wash tub sounds repellent in every way.
Do you wonder how Kathy could even be remotely tempted to return to a primitive lifestyle after experiencing the joys of modern conveniences?
After spending time in her childhood element, she realizes how much she has missed it. She especially loves the sense of community.
Sense of community? No one will talk to her. The Amish come across to Kathy as stern, condemning, cold, and unkind. Who the heck would want to go back to that?
Why Isn't Kathy Shunned?
Kathy is perplexed why she's being treated like an outsider in the Amish community because she has never officially been shunned.
Once an Amish person leaves the community, they only have a short period of time to return before they are treated like an outsider who is no longer allowed to participate within the culture. Kathy has been gone for 10 years, so for her to not be shunned seems like fictional license on Hallmark's end.
Read on....there might be a loophole.
Image: Crown Media
What Is Rumspringa?
When Miriam cleans out her father's room, she discovers Kathy has been writing and sending him money for years. Even though Kathy tries to mend the relationship with her sister by signing over her share of the family farm, the revelation of the letters and the money brings about a change of heart in Miriam.
Miriam finally admits to Kathy that she's been jealous of her. Miriam's obligation to the family when they needed her prevented her from experiencing the world as Kathy had during her own Rumspringa.
The term Rumspringa is a Pennsylvania German noun meaning, running around. Each Amish community practices this tradition, or rite of passage, differently, but for approximately two years, Amish teens are permitted to live and act "English." They can dress like society, use technology, drive cars, etc. Though many teens continue to live with their families during this time, they don't have to.
Once the two years are up, the adolescent must decide if they want to return to the Amish lifestyle or not. If they choose to remain Amish, they are baptized into the church and must adhere to the Ordung, which is an Amish set of rules that are the essence of the Amish identity.
Once baptized, leaving the Amish lifestyle results in permanent shunning.
Roughly 90% of Amish young people decide to remain Amish
It's not well-explained in the movie, but one could conclude from Miriam's comment that Kathy experienced Rumspringa, was never baptized into the Amish church, decided to leave the community, and as a result, was never shunned.
One thing is certain though--Isaac was baptized in the church, so to marry Kathy and leave would be the end of his welcome in the community, though Miriam leaves the door open to the couple because she sees the generosity and goodness of their hearts.
What Kathy discovers is this: Home is where you feel wanted and love, accepted because of who you are.
Image: Crown Media
A Little Privacy Here!
Isaac initially turns Kathy away after she professes her love to him and even vows to return to Amish life to be with him. He catches her later, though, at Miriam's.
Did you squirm a little when Isaac got personal and admitted he loved Kathy--all while Miriam stood within their personal bubble, listening to every word?
Do the Amish require unmarried people to be chaperoned like this?
Not usually. Amish teens often get together at Sunday night sings where they can socialize without adults. Sometimes, they even go on dates. Much of the time, however, Amish teens see each other at church, frolics, or visits with the families.
"Kathy" and "Isaac" Are Married in Real Life
Galadriel Stineman and Kevin Joy have been married for 10 years and have two children, both of whom are in the movie.
You can read an interesting interview with them HERE.
Have You Ever Visited Amish Country?
Growing up, I lived a short drive to Ohio's Amish country. I'm grateful to own many Amish crafted furniture pieces--the Amish are excellent carpenters! We still visit periodically for homespun decor, though Amish country has commercialized substantially. Still, the rolling, green hills, the farmhouses, the laundry on the line during all seasons, the buggies along the road--all hold such a unique charm of a simpler life (if you consider farming fields with horses rather than machinery "simpler").
In my 20's, I attended a non-denominational church in the heart of Amish country and met many parishioners who had left the Amish church to become "English." Yes, they were shunned by their Amish families.
Many of these people shared that a number of Amish aren't happy. They have hopes and dreams, but they aren't allowed to pursue them. All must enter whatever business the family operates, even if the work makes them miserable.
The Amish are well-known for being a close-knit community, not open to outsiders. This conditioning is evident in the lives of many who left the Amish lifestyle. Even in church I attended, the former Amish members migrated to other former Amish. They were always nice and asked you personal questions, but they would never reveal anything about themselves.
Before I got married, I briefly dated two men who were from families that had left the Amish community. There was a coldness and severity about them that was too much to take. It's ingrained!
Image: Crown Media
Try a Beverly Lewis Novel
Follow Your Heart is a refreshing Hallmark movie because it breaks from their cookie cutter string of status quo stories.
If you enjoyed this peek into Amish life, you have GOT to try reading one of the scores of books by Beverly Lewis where Amish life is front and center!
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