“Ach, Rachel,” she stammered, dark-blue eyes flooded with tears. “I—I can’t.”
“You goose,” I replied, “sure you can! No one’s died from their wedding night so far, and if all these children are a sign, I’d say most even like it!”
It was a joy to watch my sister’s wan cheeks burn with embarrassment, and that night I suppose they burned with something entirely new. Two months later she wrote to say that she was with child—Tobias King’s child—but there were some complications, and would I mind terribly much to move down until the baby’s birth?
Now Tobias finishes reading from the Psalms, closes the heavy Bible, and bows his head. The community follows suit. For five whole minutes not a word is spoken, but each of us is supposed to remain in a state of silent prayer. I want to pray, but I find even the combined vocabulary of the English and Pennsylvania Dutch languages insufficient for the turbulent emotions I feel. Instead, I just close my eyes and listen to the wind brushing its fingertips through the autumnal tresses of the trees, to the trilling melody of snow geese migrating south, to the horses stomping in the churchyard, eager to be freed from their cumbersome buggies and returned to the comfort of the stall.
Although Tobias gives us no sign, the community becomes aware that the prayer time is over, and everyone lifts his or her head. The men then harness ropes around Amos’s casket, slide out the boards that were bracing it over the hole, and begin to lower him into his grave.
I cannot account for the tears that form in my eyes as that pine box begins its jerky descent into darkness. I did not know Amos well enough to mourn him, but I did know that he was a good man, a righteous man, who had extended his hand of mercy to me without asking questions. Now that his son has taken over as bishop of Copper Creek, I fear that hand will be retracted, and perhaps the tears are more for myself and my child than they are for the man who has just left this life behind.
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you, precious readers, for taking the time to read this series. Each story I have had the privilege to craft becomes so personal to me by its completion, and this is certainly the case with The Alliance and The Divide. Leora, Moses, and Jabil feel as real to me as family, as do their struggles and triumphs, and I have learned so much from them over these past three years. I pray that you have learned as well, and that the themes presented will provide you with some food for thought. If you would ever like to discuss, please let me know. You can contact me through my website, www.jolinapetersheim.com. I love hearing from my readers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jolina Petersheim is the bestselling author of The Alliance, The Midwife, and The Outcast, which Library Journal called “outstanding . . . fresh and inspirational” in a starred review and named one of the best books of 2013. That book also became an ECPA, CBA, and Amazon bestseller and was featured in Huffington Post’s Fall Picks, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and the Tennessean. CBA Retailers + Resources called her second book, The Midwife, “an excellent read [that] will be hard to put down,” and Romantic Times declared, “Petersheim is an amazing new author.” Her third book, The Alliance, was selected as one of Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction titles of 2016. Jolina’s nonfiction writing has been featured in Reader’s Digest, Writer’s Digest, and Today’s Christian Woman.
Jolina and her husband share the same unique Amish and Mennonite heritage that originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but they now live in the mountains of Tennessee with their daughters. Follow Jolina’s blog at www.jolinapetersheim.com.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
In both The Alliance and The Divide, Leora struggles with her pacifist ideals in light of her current reality. Did you find her struggle realistic? Were you surprised at where she ended up on this issue, or was it what you anticipated?
When faced with the likelihood of being killed, Leora shoots—and kills—a man in self-defense. Did this surprise you? Was there another option you would have liked or expected Leora to pursue? How do you think you would respond in a similar situation?
During the funeral service in chapter 7, Bishop Lowell quotes John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” In what ways do we see light shining in the darkness throughout this story? In what ways have you seen light shine in the darkness during your own life?
As Moses reflects on his grandfather’s life and death, he realizes, “Yes, if I pursue Leora, she will no doubt experience more pain than if she were alone, or with Jabil. But the joy of companionship—of daily love—far exceeds the pain.” When have you been tempted to withdraw from others to protect yourself from pain? In what ways have you found Moses’s conclusions to be true?
At one point Leora laments that living in crisis has robbed her of a “normal” life and expresses her hope that one day life will return to some semblance of normalcy: “I want to get so wrapped up in ‘normal’ that I forget what a gift normal really is.” Has there been a time in your life—illness, the death of a loved one, a job loss—when you wondered if life would ever be normal again? How do such experiences change us?
Leora wrestles with the age-old problem of pain: If God can see everything that’s wrong in the world, why doesn’t he change it? Do you agree with Moses’s answer, that it’s because God gave us free will—that people have the ability to choose right or wrong, love or hate? If this is something you have thought about, what conclusions have you reached?
Josh is a minor character who fills an important role in Moses’s life. How would you describe the friendship between these two men? Do you have a mentor in your life like Josh was to Moses, or do you fill that role for someone else? In what ways can this be an important relationship, in both directions?
What were your reactions to Jabil’s character? Do you think Leora should have married him? Why or why not? Was Jabil’s fate realistic? Appropriate? Do you see it as a positive or negative thing?
Are there aspects of your family’s or church’s teachings that you have reexamined as an adult? How significant are the differences between what you believe now and what you were taught as a child? How will you feel if your children grow up to reject some of what you are teaching them?
Is there a place for pacifism in today’s world? Do you personally know anyone who takes this stance? What are its pros and cons?
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