by MarianBeaman | Nov 4, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Quotations, Travel, Uncategorized
Dr. Seuss explores the maze of life in his famous book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! On the first page he assures readers: You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. And that’s just what Jenna and Ian did...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 28, 2015 | blog, Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Romance, Uncategorized
MY STORY Dorothy had the Good Witch of the North to give her “magical protection from fatal harm” on her journey to the land of Oz and back. Yet she followed an uneven path, using her brain, sometimes thinking with her heart, and slowly but surely developing courage....
by MarianBeaman | Oct 21, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Romance, Uncategorized
True Love This month would be the 75th wedding anniversary of my parents, Ray and Ruth Longenecker had they lived. True, they bickered from time to time, but I knew their love was deep and abiding. I rested in the assurance that they would never divorce. There were...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 14, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
Great Aunt Mary Grace would turn 117 this week on October 14 if she were still alive. When I was young, the Longenecker family visited Mary Grace Martin at her cottage at Mt. Gretna, PA. What I remember most about her appearance was her pleasant aura and a gap-toothed...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 7, 2015 | Amish, blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Recipes, Uncategorized
My sister Jan (“Janice,” growing up) is easily the best cook in our family. One of my birthday presents from her last year was a cookbook entitled Amish Cooking. In the head-line this week, I say “A Touch of Amish” because the recipes are quick and easy...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 30, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Humorous Slices A green apple, a yellow apple, and a red apple, it’s like a fruity traffic light you can eat . . . . Did you know that my love has the consistency of applesauce? It’s true—and juicy. ~ Jarod Kintz I ate a slice of humble pie, and it tasted like...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 23, 2015 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Dollar Discovery! On September 10, 2015 I opened an envelope dated April 30,1962 that Mother sent me in college. I had read her letter then, but did not open the Bossler Mennonite Church bulletin where she had tucked a dollar bill (series date 1957) until now. I...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 16, 2015 | blog, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
The closest thing I ever came to living in a convent was my year in the dormitory at Lancaster Mennonite School. It was much like living in the dorm at my alma mater, Eastern Mennonite College, now a University, but only more awkward. “Awkward?” you ask. “In what way...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 9, 2015 | blog, Conflict, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
Nuns live in convents. At least that was true in America in the1960s. Strictly speaking I was not an actual nun, a Catholic sister with a habit like Karen Leahy, who left her convent at Mount Maria to pursue a literary life and experience more freedom. (My review of...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 2, 2015 | blog, Education, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
A toy train and a baby doll. That’s what these brother and sister pairs are exchanging with each other. Trading is fun among friends, no matter what their size. Big or little, old or young – most people like to exchange gifts, conversation, sometimes even big ideas....
