Janis and I have a good friend here in Conway who is a member of our Sunday School class. His name is Loren Wagner, and like us, he is past 80 years of age. His wife Kitty passed away a couple of years ago. Since he is alone, we have taken him to lunch after church a couple of times, just to have fellowship with him. Well, a couple of weeks ago he invited us to have lunch with him, and during lunch he told us one of the funniest stories that I have ever heard. I am going to share it with you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Loren is originally from Lancaster, Pa. As you may know, this is where a large settlement of Amish people live. More about this in a moment, but first his story. Loren said that when he and Kitty first married, they lived in a mobile home that was only 7 feet wide and 27 feet long. He said this mobile home was so narrow they took turns getting in and out of bed. Now, can’t you see that in your mind? Only 7 feet wide and a bed, even a regular size bed, is over 5 feet wide. So, with 2 to 3 inches on the inside of the bed for covers to go down, this left less than 2 feet on the other side to get in and out of bed. Apparently, they were democratic about it, as they took turns every night as to which one slept on the outside. 

This true story was very special for me because of an experience I had several years ago. Sometime in the late 1970s, I was invited to speak at the National Vocational Education Conference in Atlantic City, N.J. I flew into the airport in Philadelphia, as Atlantic City was only a short drive away. It just so happened that I had a former pastor, whose name was Marlin Howe, who had a brother who lived in the area, and he picked me up at the airport and provided lodging and transportation to and from the conference. 

When I left home, I had no idea about the great experience for which I was in store. It turns out that my former pastor’s father was reared by the Amish in Lancaster. Because of my schedule I had an extra day in the area, so my host drove me over to Lancaster. We went through Philadelphia, the city that has more of our nation’s history than any other city in our country. I got to see the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were signed. We also saw where the Philadelphia Phillies play baseball, and Liberty Stadium where the Army-Navy football game is played each year.  

We also stopped by the Valley Forge Cemetery, which is quite famous. Lancaster is a historic and unique town, and Amish women are great cooks. We enjoyed a delicious meal at one of their many famous restaurants.

Now, back to Loren’s bed story, and what made it so special for me. Since our age difference is only a couple of years, the odds are very good that Loren and his wife Kitty were swapping bed sides when I visited Lancaster. Small world. I share these things because we have such a great country. Get out and see more of it when you can.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25, which includes postage and handling and tax, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)