Laurie Buchanan: Fast-Paced with Plot Twists
Laurie, A Model of Re-invention Laurie left home as a young teen without completing high school, but then zoomed to her GED and later to a notable PhD. She has reinvented herself more than once during her lifetime. To date, she has authored four books,...
We Wrote a Novel!
Dolly Parton Singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, philanthropist Teams up with Novelist James Patterson Touted as the world’s best-selling author Tops in their fields, entertainer Dolly Parton and novelist James Patterson are two disparate artists who have...
A Blooming Sinkhole & Vegetable Jewelry
Snowbirds Faythe and Howard Landis introduced us to Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg in April 2022. You may recall that Howard is my second cousin, whom I’ve blogged about before when we visited him and Faythe last summer. You can view our escapades in Missouri here....
Grandma Shirley and Amma Marilyn: Mindful Grandparents
What Amazon Says Loving our children's children well is an art--one we keep learning as they grow. Making memories and fostering relationships with our grandchildren in the midst of a fast-moving culture isn't easy, and a legacy that lasts isn't crafted...
Mr. Mitch Finds Chika: A True Story
My Review “Mister Mitch?,” Chika asks. ”Why didn’t you have babies?” I pause. “What do you mean?” “You said people brought you their babies, but you and Miss Janine didn’t have babies.” I’m writing your story, Chika. What does that have to...
Spicy, Sweet Scent of Hyacinths – Ahhh!
Excerpt from “Easter and Politics,” chapter 24 in Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl Two doors led into Grandma Longenecker’s kitchen. On this particular Sunday, we aimed for her back door. After Daddy parked our car alongside the back porch,...
The Folded Napkin: An Easter Meditation
The Finished Work In Bible days, when you wanted a fine piece of furniture made, you picked someone with a reputation for excellence---a master carpenter or a finish carpenter. But these carpenters had an interesting custom. When a carpenter completed a job, he...
Our Easter in Ukraine
Khristos voskres! Christ is risen indeed! These words spoken in Russian are the very first expression of Easter joy we hear on Sunday, April 24, 2011 as folks gather at Birth of Christ Church in Kiev, Ukraine, preparing for the worship hour. Here is the choir after...
Living on God’s Gifted Time: A Mennonite Pastor Speaks
Sociology professor receives a dire diagnosis He is stopped in his tracks He is also a Mennonite pastor How can he find a path forward? These four lines describe pastor and professor Conrad Kanagy, a Mennonite author who lives with his family in my childhood...
When Marian Subscribed to the Hustler Channel
Hustler TV is X-rated Pornographic. . . with naked bodies filling the screen Though I’m not a fan of formulaic Hallmark movies, I’m more a wholesome-romance-kind-of-woman than the sex-crazed hussies and high-libido men featured on the Hustler Channel. ...
Wordless Wednesday: Find the Plain Girl
Sophomore Class, Elizabethtown High School 1957 Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania Have you found (or kept) an individual or a group photo from your school days? School snapshots are available online. Have you discovered a digital copy of a school...
Ukraine: The Homeland of Ellie’s World
I received a copy of Elfrieda Schroeder's memoir, Ellie's World, about a month ago. Though eastern Europe was rumbling louder in the news in early February, I had no idea how timely her story would be considering the horrific events of this past week. ...
Secrets of My 9-Year Blogging Life
The cartoon is right! I have been blogging nigh onto nine years. Also right: My hair is often a mess when I blog. (I don’t see myself at the computer, so I have to trust the artist’s rendering here.) Blogging is fun for me. I don’t hate blogging, as the...
February Photos with Tulips and Chimney Smoke
Find the Colors in this Urban Afternoon Reflection February A chimney, breathing a little smoke. The sun, I can't see making a bit of pink I can't quite see in the blue. The pink of five tulips at five p.m. on the day before March first. The green of the tulip...
Stop, Look, and Listen with a Lego Figure: Snowy Woods at Dusk
If you arrived here harried and harangued, or feeling hollow. . . . YOU ARE INVITED TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP. . . . . . to contemplate Frost’s Stopping by a Woods on a Snowy Evening. This rendition features a Lego character with a German-speaking narrator: ...
What is Your Window View Today? Wordless Wednesday
Limited time, Pre-Valentine Offer for you or a loved one: Mennonite Daughter (see below) Enjoy the love story, Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl Kindle, in full color:...
How Riding a Train is like Memoir Writing
Trains take me back to grade school, evoking the fondest of memories, like this one. My friend Wayne and I paused in our play in the woods during summer vacation. We waited for the dusty, black engine to emerge from the heat haze around the feed mill on the edge of...
A Special Word for 2022 with a Quick Quiz
Like a double-side mirror, reflect is one of those words with a dual meaning. It can either turn in upon itself or look outward. It can cast back light or enlighten the path ahead. The American Heritage Dictionary illuminates further: To give back a likeness, as...