Earths Table

An Amish Year written by Beth Weisman is a collection of stories about love, faith and hope. With the beautiful stories in this book, it would be difficult to effectively depict them all in a review. So instead, I’ve decided to give you a glimpse into what story I absolutely adored. Patchwork Perfect is the fourth story of the book; it was something I felt I could relate to, being a fellow quilter.  When I think of a patchwork quilts, I think of various types of fabric pieces that aren't necessarily perfect, but when brought together, they form a beautiful quilt.

Eli Byler has been grieving the loss of his beloved wife for the past two years, in hopes that a change of scenery will give him a fresh start, Eli and his two children move to Lancaster County.

At one of the first church services Eli attends, he finds himself drawn to an unusual woman Miriam, who has a reputation of being a unique woman, who focuses more on the youth of the community than tending to her home. Before Eli gets the chance to introduce himself to her, he's warned to stay away from Miriam and he that hey may have more in common with the other widowers in the community.

When Eli's daughter becomes involved with a young man named Wayne, she crosses paths with Miriam, and begins to develop a friendship. Eli and his daughter, see another side of her, a side the community doesn’t seem to. She is a kind, caring and gentle women whose protective nature stretches over all those she cares about. It’s during this time he sees the beautiful and different pieces of her personality, which to Eli, make her absolutely beautiful, and for the first time since his wife passed, he feels hopeful.

Though all the stories were beautiful, I enjoyed they way this showed, that like patch working, we may not understand all the pieces of someone’s personality, but together they make them who they are. We are so quick to judge one another, based off of first impressions that we often don’t take the time to learn all the unique pieces that compose them.

So whatever scraps you have in your life that you feel like don’t make sense or fit together, they are there for a purpose, and each scrap is a vital piece to who you are.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest review for which I have given.