by MarianBeaman | Dec 15, 2021 | blog, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations
I wasn’t sure it would open. So my husband Cliff gathered assorted tools in case the clasp on Aunt Ruthie’s Diary had clamped shut with rust. A faux-leather, brown diary with an attached key has lain on my desk for years now. Ever since we cleared out Aunt...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 8, 2021 | blog, book review, Quotations, Recipes, Uncategorized
A few weeks ago, I took another trip to Fernandina Beach, Florida. This time with my friend and walking partner, Barbara. The historic district was dressed for fall, the temps cooler. A calm ambiance prevailed on Centre Street until we approached The Book Loft where...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 17, 2021 | blog, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized
Have you heard of Heman the Ezrahite? There’s a good chance you haven’t because he’s a rather obscure Old Testament character. I just learned about him recently. In the choirs of David, musicians Heman and Jeduthun were appointed to give thanks. It was literally their...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 10, 2021 | blog, Literature, meditation, neighborhood, Neighborhood / Environment, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
Saturday Morning Ducks land hard on lake A chorus of feathered brown White bubbles remain ~ October 8, 2021 Stalky chalk-white bird Balancing on two brown legs Constantly startled ~ January...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 3, 2021 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Uncategorized
by MarianBeaman | Oct 27, 2021 | blog, Literature, Quotations, Travel, Uncategorized
Located in historic downtown Fernandina Beach, the Amelia Schoolhouse Inn was built in 1886 as the local school for Amelia Island. Completely renovated in 2018, the 17-room boutique hotel has been certified as a National Historic structure and combines...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 20, 2021 | Amish, blog, book review, Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Lucinda and Her Books I’ve featured Mennonite author Lucinda J. on my blog a few years ago. When her first book came out in 2017, the memoir Anything but Simple, her name was Lucinda J. Miller. You can read that post here. A few years ago, she married Ivan and changed...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 13, 2021 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Quilt, Tips, Uncategorized
You’ve heard many metaphors for life, images that suggest how daily happenings can throw us into a tailspin: Life is like a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs Life is like a washing machine, churning round and round Life is like bumper cars, hitting one...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 6, 2021 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Uncategorized
The poet Maren Tirabassi reflects on the life of Christ, depicting autumn leaves showing their beauty, their brilliance, and their fragility–and then falling. Observe her weaving the seasonal into the scriptural, spanning His birth and, eventually, His...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 29, 2021 | blog, popular culture, Quotations, Uncategorized
The Boy with a Dream and a Cure True Story In the nineteenth century, a Member of Parliament went to Scotland to make an important speech. He travelled to Edinburgh by train, then took a horse-drawn carriage southward to his destination. But the roads were bad...
