"namish" Reviews

All of this reminds me of a story from back when we received our first shipment of 2000+ books (5 tons!) and immediately discovered that half of the covers had a printing error. You may recall my relating that initial debacle! But it’s in the darker hours that unexpected Light is ever more remarkable and welcome. 

Immediately after learning of the cover disaster, we received a truly remarkable phone call. A woman by the name of Margot Callahan called wondering if we might be able to use a bit of volunteer labor. She was driving around New England on a solo road-trip and as one of us (gallery family) had read that we were expecting delivery of the books and wanted to know if we could use some help! She had no clue whatsoever of the cover nightmare, she was simply calling in to be useful, to be helpful, if needed.

Needless to say, we gratefully accepted her remarkable offer and she came in the next morning and worked like a dervish for the entire day. In the course of that first time together Margot began to very modestly share a few details about herself. She lives not at all far from where I grew up in Chadd's Ford, PA. She had just published her first book, NAMISH, and it is one that has quietly blown me away. 

You see, Margot has long been drawn to the Amish of Lancaster County, PA. I will not go into detail here, but suffice it to say that she quietly and regularly offers herself up to help them in many varied ways. She gave me a copy of her book and when, that evening at home, I began to read it, the wonder of this woman – of this remarkable human being – really began to dawn on me.  

Just as she was drawn/driven/inspired to spontaneously reach out to help us here, some years ago she was “called” to the Amish families of Lancaster County, the heart of the Amish community in America. Her remarkable little book, NAMISH, is a profoundly moving account of her relationship with that community. Margot is devoid of a molecule of need for recognition yet this account is a humble and modest acknowledgement of what I perceive as her intimate  relationship with the Golden Rule.  

This remarkable woman came into our lives at the precise moment when a sliver of Light meant most....and she lit up the whole gallery with her spirit, grace, quiet charm and simple/honest manner. Her coming into our lives – and we into hers – is one of those exquisite and baffling moments of perfect alignment of human energy and being. It proves, in my mind, the very real existence of blessings. 

And, dear friends, Margot absolutely personifies what so much of what Going Deep is fundamentally all about. As I say in my book, “.........a vibrant and tenacious will for individual and collective survival holds fast in Maine’s working towns and waterfront. The resilient weave of rural community fabric, spun on the loom of interdependence and engagement, makes for an intimacy and, more often than not, an inherently caring environment in which people ultimately look out for one another, knowing full well that the day will come when they will be on the receiving end of the caring.” 

This is a recurring theme in both of our books. More than that, it’s really what both books are all about, “do unto others......” And while on this subject, repeated thanks to my dear old friends, Lisa and Chris, who also stumbled into our little disaster back then and gave mightily of themselves.....bless all three of you! 

Margot’s book of short stories about her adventures with the Amish is available here. 

More Maine images next week.....in the meantime, our very, very best to you, one and all, 

cheers, 

Peter