Audra Jennings

Thanksgiving: It’s a heart condition By Darla Weaver Excerpt adapted from Gathering of Sisters by Darla Weaver. ©2018 Herald Press, used with permission. Toward the end of the month we turned our attention to Thanksgiving and the meal we were all sharing at Regina’s house after church services in the morning. Nathan would be home from Alaska, the harvest season was over for another year, and Thanksgiving was marked on the calendar. It was time to thank God for family, for freedom, for food and shelter and all the abundant blessings he showered upon us daily, hourly. Food, of course, is the main element of the Thanksgiving meal. In the weeks before Thanksgiving, our conversation centers there quite often, and on such enthralling topics as holiday turkey prices, and whether Butterball brand turkeys are better than any other brand. “I need to copy your recipe for cranberry salad,” one of us will say to Mom. And: “If a recipe asks for heavy cream, is that the same...

Part 2 of an interview with Darla Weaver, Author of Gathering of Sisters Darla Weaver grew up the oldest of nine children in a five-bedroom farmhouse her parents still live in to this day. The house was always brimming with life and laughter, and some inevitable sadness. All the children grew up, and the five sisters eventually all had their weddings there at the house. Home held a special place in the hearts of all of them, especially the sisters, and still does to this day. No matter how busy life becomes with raising children, chores and work, everything is set aside one day a week. Once a week Darla Weaver hitches up her spirited mare, bundles her children into the buggy, and drives six miles to the farm where she grew up. There she gathers with her four sisters and their children for a day with their mother. In Gathering of Sisters : A Year with My Old Order Mennonite Family (Herald Press ) , Weaver writes about her horse-and-buggy Mennonite family and the weekly ...

Part 1 of an interview with Darla Weaver, Author of Gathering of Sisters Once a week Darla Weaver hitches up her spirited mare, bundles her children into the buggy, and drives six miles to the farm where she grew up. There she gathers with her four sisters and their children for a day with their mother. In Gathering of Sisters: A Year with My Old Order Mennonite Family (Herald Press), Weaver writes about her horse-and-buggy Mennonite family and the weekly women’s gatherings that keep them connected. On warm days, the children play and fish and build houses of hay in the barn. In the winter, everyone stays close to the woodstove, with puzzles and games and crocheting. No matter the weather, the Tuesday get-togethers of this Old Order Mennonite family keep them grounded and centered in their love for God and for each other, even when raising an occasional loving but knowing eyebrow at each other. Over the twelve chapters of the book, Weaver shares the activities and t...

Everyone has a story, and as Lorilee Craker writes in the new book Homespun: Amish and Mennonite Women in Their Own Words (Herald Press), “I knew from early on that there were lots of different kinds of Mennonite stories.” She should know. She’s a self-described simple Mennonite girl from the prairies. In the pages of Homespun, Amish and Plain Mennonite women swap stories and spin yarns while the reader sits in. As the book’s editor Craker collected these personal writings and authentic perspectives on life, hospitality, home, grief, joy, and walks with God from Anabaptist women’s periodicals. Among the stories shared are essays penned by well-loved Amish and Mennonite writers such as Sherry Gore, Linda Byler, Lovina Eicher, Dorcas Smucker, and Sheila Petre. While her own story isn’t included Homespun, here she shares a little bit of about how she was adopted into a loving Mennonite home, and adopted by a Father who knows all of our stories. Why I’m Grateful for My Adopti...

Welcome to the blog tour for Darla Weaver's Gathering of Sisters Now available from Herald Press About the book: Spend a day with sisters.   Once a week Darla Weaver bundles her children into the buggy, hitches up her spirited mare, and drives six miles to the farm where she grew up. There she gathers with her four sisters and their children for a day with their mother. In  Gathering of Sisters,  Weaver writes about her horse-and-buggy Mennonite family and the weekly women’s gatherings that keep them connected. On warm days, the children play and fish and build houses of hay in the barn. In the winter, everyone stays close to the woodstove, with puzzles and games and crocheting. No matter the weather, the Tuesday get-togethers of this Old Order Mennonite family keep them grounded and centered in their love for God and for each other, even when raising an occasional loving but knowing eyebrow at each other.   The rest of the week is full...

Part 2 of an interview with Lorilee Craker, Author of Homespun Behind Amish romance novels, tourist spots and “reality” TV shows stand real people, with longings and loves just like the rest of us. Every Amish and Mennonite woman has a story. What would it be like to be welcomed into their homes and share those stories over a cup of coffee? In the pages of Homespun: Amish and Mennonite Women in Their Own Words (Herald Press) , Amish and Plain Mennonite women swap stories and spin yarns while the reader sits in. The book’s editor, Lorilee Craker, bestselling author of Money Secrets of the Amish , collected these personal writings and authentic perspectives on life, hospitality, home, grief, joy, and walks with God from Anabaptist women’s periodicals. Among the stories shared are essays penned by well-loved Amish and Mennonite writers such as Sherry Gore, Linda Byler, Lovina Eicher, Dorcas Smucker, and Sheila Petre. Here she shares more of her own background and experien...

Darla Weaver shares a year in the life of her Old Order Mennonite Family Darla Weaver grew up the oldest of nine children in a five-bedroom farmhouse her parents still live in to this day. The house was always brimming with life and laughter, and some inevitable sadness. All the children grew up, and the five sisters eventually all had their weddings there at the house. Home held a special place in the hearts of all of them, especially the sisters, and still does to this day. No matter how busy life becomes with raising children, chores and work, everything is set aside one day a week. Once a week Darla Weaver hitches up her spirited mare, bundles her children into the buggy, and drives six miles to the farm where she grew up. There she gathers with her four sisters and their children for a day with their mother. In Gathering of Sisters : A Year with My Old Order Mennonite Family (Herald Press/September 25, 2018/ISBN:...