Sad news in the community...

This is one of my favorite pictures from the local Amish community. It's of the bishop, his wife and their youngest children. They were watching a horse show performance of a mixed group of Amish & English teenagers at my farm. It was an occurrence that the bishop allowed to happen only once. But those kids, all young adults now, still talk about that special day with fond memories. And it was one of the events that inspired me to write the Temptation series. I'm forever thankful that the bishop gave his permission for the young equestrians from two very different cultures to come together to entertain the entire community, and I think the smile on his face is evidence that he really enjoyed it.

The bishop passed away a few days ago after a long battle with cancer. My heart goes out to his wife and children during this difficult time. There will also be a lot of changes in the community in the days to come.

The situation is made even worse in these days of Covid-19. Usually, hundreds would turn out to pay respects to their leader. That's probably not possible now. Tragic all around.

RIP Timothy Coblentz 🙏