by MarianBeaman | Aug 30, 2023 | blog, book review, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized
“If we’d open people up, we’d find landscapes.” ~ Agnès Varda I found this provocative line in a book I read recently (You Could Make This Place Beautiful by poet Maggie Smith, whose life has been rooted in Ohio). Seeing this line in her memoir, my mind...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 23, 2023 | blog, Conflict, Education, popular culture, Uncategorized
School of the Americas poster, circa 2001 Carolyn Phanstiel archives
by MarianBeaman | Aug 9, 2023 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, meditation, Memory, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Early in the morning on my birthday three Mondays ago, my friend Carolyn sang me the birthday song on my iPhone. I heard her warble the notes to “Happy Birthday to Yooooo” with heart and soul. As always, the notes struck a chord with me. We have exchanged the familiar...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 2, 2023 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Romance, Tips, Uncategorized
Would you trust marital advice from a long-time mistress? Would you have confidence in a woman who has carried on a clandestine affair with a married man for nearly thirty years? Yet, the Mistress in this book believes she has wisdom to offer, Advice to...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 19, 2023 | meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Neighborhood / Environment, Nostalgia, popular culture, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
Crista’s Cats Our daughter with husband and their daughter are visiting Florida State University in preparation for our grand-daughter’s first year of college. Gone for nearly three days, they have charged the grandparents—us—with the care of their cats, a menagerie...