Darla insists she’s not running away from home, but that she’s running “to” something else. Do you agree with her? Why or Why not?
With over a million copies sold, Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, the Amish Letters series, the Brides of Birch Creek series, the upcoming Mail Order Brides of Birch Creek,Ā as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. She has also contributed to numerous novella collections.
She and her husband James live in Arkansas and have three adult children.Ā When sheās not writing, Kathleen is avidly crocheting, reading, and traveling, sometimes all at the sameĀ time. She runs the Facebook group Books & Hooks, which combines her love of books, crochet, andĀ collecting recipes that sheāll never have enough time to make.
Sort of yes. I think sometimes we need a time to think through our decisions and occasionally that would be the thing to do. But we must also face things in our lives, as well.
Agreed. I realize the older I get the more I need to pause and think. I can relate to Darla because I have an impulsive nature. Time and wisdom have helped me corral that a bit.
I believe that if you don’t honestly deal with issues from your personal history they always catch up with you. A person can convince themselves they’re not running from them, because of the pain involved in resolving those things.
You’re right. It may seem like it’s easier to avoid those issues and pain, but eventually you become so miserable (and often make others miserable) that you have to deal with them.
I think Darla was running away more than she was running to. She wanted to escape her parents’ control of her and this was her opportunity. She also wanted to get married. š She thought she could do both by going to Birch Creek.
I think it was both! Darla was running away from her parents control, but also running to a new life!! She is looking forward to what life will bring her in Birch Creek.
I think sometimes you need to get away from the familar to find out what it is that is hindering you or bothering you. By being away, you can evaluate your life and then figure out how to resolve the issue. It takes a lot of soul searching and prayer how to rectify it.
This is so true! It gives you a different perspective when you’re further away from the problem.
Running away from a difficult situation and starting over can be a new healthy start for your future. Staying put is not a solution since we can become stuck in a rut and we need the change in order to improve our lives.
A change of scene can definitely give someone a fresh start.
I agree in a way. I think sometimes itās necessary to get away to think and figure things out.
Definitely!
Sometimes you just have to get away and be by yourself to think things out without any outside interference.
Marion
It’s getting harder and harder in our society to find time alone and away from all the distractions.
Yes I agree with her.There are so many times as an adult that I would like to leave to figure out a problem.
Me too! Fortunately Darla had that opportunity. I can’t think of a time when I could actually “run away” when I was having a problem.
Sometimes it looks like running away when you have to go away to figure things out or see what your purpose is.
You’re right–intentionally leaving is much different than running away.
Going away sometimes is a good thing, when you need to figure things out. But you can’t run from your problems, But this case she was wanting to go to something better and different a new start maybe.
I would say it’s both.
āTherefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.ā š
Excellent!
Yes, I do agree with her. At first, she was seeming to run away since she was “sneaking” away in the dark and leaving without telling anyone, just leaving notes behind. After Amanda “reasoned” with her, she agreed to tell her parents in the morning face to face and be more open and wait a week to leave. She also had been praying to God for both her and Amanda to gain husbands and she felt he answered her prayer by letting her see the newspaper ad in the newspaper protecting the package mailed to her home. This is key to me saying that she is now running to her adventure that she feels God has set up for her, one that she must go on to see what will happen in this new city two hours away — to see what will happen in her future as far as her dream of finding romance goes.
Well said!
Many times we think that running to a new goal, seeking a new purpose, is the answer to our disatisfaction. What if we focus on the positive, evaluate what we truly have, and then consider our next move?
It would be easy to run away from all our problems. It is not possible since the problems follow us. There are times that we need to be alone with the Lord to work out issues. This cannot be something permanent. We need to be able to come back to ourselves as well as our responsibilities.
I think it was both! You have to run away from something to run to something, and in order to run to something you must be running away from something. It’s simple physics. Now, each person involved may have a different point of view on the matter, but physically there is really only one answer.
Can be both. Sometimes it can start as running away from something to reach what you are running towards. Sometimes it can “seem” that someone is running away from something but in reality they are wanting to reach their goal, their dreams and they run towards them without it being that they are running away from something.
I agree in away but sometimes we have to follow where The Lord leads Us!
I think it was both! this book sounds wonderful.
Have not read the book yet I would say probably both
Not sure. Unclear