By Kevin Williams
Posts of 5 are popular on Amish365, "5 Amish Corn Recipes" or "5 Amish Potato Salads", etc. Â 5 is just a nice, round number. Google loves lists in terms of ranking them in search engines and people, in general, like lists. They're handy, they're easy, accessible, and just a great way to organize one's thoughts (an ironic reference, those of you on the email list will know what I mean).
Anyway, just thought it'd be fun to share the Top 5 "5" posts....I'll have many more groups of 5 coming up in the months ahead, so this list will have to be revised from time to time.
I kind of chuckle at one of them that did crack the Top 5: cake mixes. Â Most Amish cooks bake from scratch, but many aren't averse to cutting a corner here and there and if cake mix can do that, sometimes they'll use it. Â Top 5 Amish recipes using cake mix cracked the Top 5.
So, here they are!
Coming in at #1:
5 Amish and Mennonite Sunday Suppers
And the rest of the list....
5 Amish Full-of-Flavor Beef Recipes
5 Amish Farmhouse Thanksgiving Vegetable and Sides Recipes
5 Amish Recipes Using Cake Mix!
And there you have it, the Top Five Five.
On a totally different note, you ever wondered about the administrative structure of an Amish church? Â They are very decentralized. Â There is no "Amish Pope" somewhere, the authority generally stops with the local bishop.
CHURCH STRUCTURE:Â Like snowflakes, no two Amish churches are alike. The Amish church lacks a central administrative structure like other churches have. The centralized structure of most churches whether it be the Mormons and their headquarters in Salt Lake City or Roman Catholics taking their direction from the Vatican, the highest authority in the Amish church is he LOCAL bishop. Â So while most Amish churches share similarities in theology and tradition, one can also see wide variations. Some Amish churches permit indoor plumbing, while others do not. Most Amish prefer not to be photographed, but in some church districts the rules are more liberal and photography is permitted.
Most Amish churches have about 25 families and if it gets much larger than that, the churches will split off into a separate district. Â The two districts will continue fellowship with one another. Â Other churches may spit apart because of theological differences, and if that happens contact between the two groups will be minimal.
Virginia
Kevin, I only locked my car keys in the car one time. I was so embarrassed that I always put my keys in my right pocket, after that. Especially when shopping. I figured someone might steal my purse but it would be harder for them to steal my car keys without my knowledge with them in my pocket and I would have a way to get home. It's a hassle but cards are easier to replace than a car. My bank card I disciplined myself to always put it back where it came from as soon as I was done using it. For me, that's a wallet and I keep the cards in the same place...always. I don't know if that helps. I know they say that habits make it easier for people to track your movements (if they are looking to break in) but habits are needed for people who have trouble remembering where they put something...kind of like hiding presents that you buy early but you find a hiding place so good that even you can't find them....just make some good habits for where you place your keys and bank cards.
Kevin
Virginia, good advice and you're exactly right, it's down to developing good habits...the bank card is always tough because if I'm going through a drive-through line, I'm dealing with bags of food, have a car behind me impatiently waiting, I want to just drive away and not take the extra 10 seconds to rummage through my wallet to put the card back in, but I need to do that....
Pam
Hate to say it Kevin, but welcome to the "getting old" part of your life. Take yourself back 10 years and you probably didn't have any of these problems, right? Your problem is not unique to you, but very similar to all of us creeping up there. Just have to sit back and laugh at yourself and remember you're not alone.
brenda
oh my the stories i could tell about my husband's challenges with this sort of thing. after too many important things being left behind at a mkt etc and lost keys, we finally had to resort to the ck book is in my purse and a ck goes into his wallet when he goes for something. No bank card in his wallet. minimal things go with him so we have fewer notifications or renewals..
after so many lost keys and expense for the lockmaster, we waited for a great sale on the TILE. The Tile has been terrific for his wallet, cane, keys. Now if we could just get one that fits his phone. It could be registered with the phone but with the other objects tied to that system the lost phone cannot be used to locate those other items so i have them on mine. Just as with so many other challenges, it really is a family issue and requires full involvement. not treating this as something that affects the entire family couple just increases the stress which exacerbates the challenge. with all the other things we need to work on prayer is a major element.
Kevin
I heard about "The Tile" for the first time yesterday when a friend told me about it, I think I'll have to put that on my birthday wish list!