My Life in the Pennsylvania Colony

Wow, I'm relieved. I can't believe John and Thomas finally fell asleep for their naps, and with Elizabeth at school today I have a second to gather my thoughts. Usually I go to school too, except on meeting days, I either go to the meeting(usually don't), or watch my younger siblings while my parents go to the Quaker meetinghouse. Elizabeth is six, and John and Thomas are both three. My mom, Mary Smith, wants to homeschool us because, although she thinks school is very important, she wants to be able to teach us the three R's "reading, 'riteing, and 'rithmatic" while also giving us enough experience helping out on the farm and learning our religion (especially me, the oldest). I'm a little disappointed about the homeschooling thing because, as important as family is to me, I wont get to see all my friends as much even though they live on the farms close by. I love our farm and neighbors, and Pennsylvania is a great place to have a farm and be a Quaker. Speaking of farming, I wonder how my pa, George Smith, is doing out in the fields and if my mom went out to help him today. She probably did because tomorrow's a meeting day so they have to work extra hard today. That's one of the downsides to meetings. Sometimes it gets a little boring listening to all the grown-ups talk about our Quaker beliefs and stuff like that, but sometimes I do like to listen to all their advice and try to remember as much as I can. My parents are both bugging me now about listening to all and any advice because I'm starting to come of the age where I'm capable of sin. That age is 11 or 12, and I'm 10. So they want me to start going to more meetings and stuff, but they're just too boring. Were supposed to all sit in silence and clear our minds, but I just can't focus because it's too boring and if I try not to think about anything then I think too hard about not thinking. I don't know how the grown-ups stand it and how they can tell if they feel 'moved by the spirit' to speak. When they speak at the meetings I always wonder how they know what to say; do they really 'feel it'? I don't feel anything. I just hope that when I'm grown up I'll be able to attend the meetings regularly without getting bored or frustrated. Well, I better go see if ma needs help cooking, or if I was supposed to make supper alone. If so, I better hurry because Elizabeth will be coming home from school soon, and papa in from the fields and they'll be hungry. Some days I wish we were one of those families that had a servant, but mama and papa won't allow it. They always say they used to have a servant, but discovered it was wrong while meditating at the meeting one day. How do they do it without a servant? Thank goodness they have me to help with the farm and the farm animals and the wash and ... and.. well.. just about everything and anything. Well I think moms calling. Yep, I hear her yelling SARAH SMITH the way she always does when I do something wrong. Oops, guess I was supposed to make supper tonight.

Here's a picture of our meetinghouse:



Our farm fields look similar to this: