by MarianBeaman | May 2, 2015 | blog, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Uncategorized
Grandma and I in the Rhubarb Patch It’s me, pigtails flapping in the May breezes, skipping beside Grandma toward the rhubarb patch. Behind Grandma’s house toward the woods a thick nest of rhubarb stalks stands sentinel over a ridge facing the twelve sweet...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 29, 2015 | blog, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Lilacs in Washington State Earlier this month, my husband Cliff and family laid to rest his father Lee Beaman in a tiny urn above the coffin of his wife in the cemetery adjoining the church. Across the street from the simple, white-plank Methodist Church near...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 27, 2015 | Award, blog, Gratitude, Reflection, Uncategorized
Thank you notes are usually written privately, but this one is a public thank you to Carole Parkes, a writer friend who just recently nominated me for the Written Acts of Kindness Award, an award given from one blogger to another to let them know their words bring...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 24, 2015 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Folk Songs of the South, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Uncategorized
Growing up in rural Lancaster County in the 1950s, I had very little opportunity to meet people of other ethnic groups, but I did have a Little Black Sambo book that introduced me to a culture different from mine. So, I have not always been embarrassed by this book....
by MarianBeaman | Apr 22, 2015 | blog, Education, Literature, Purple Passage, Quotations, Uncategorized
Spring cleaning! I have thrown out (read that, recycled) piles of files during the past two weeks. One I kept, though, was a Shakespeare file. I take my discovery of this file as an invitation to play teacher once more. Actually, another good reason is that tomorrow,...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 18, 2015 | Conflict, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, popular culture, Uncategorized
My name is Marian. What’s yours? A familiar greeting . . . Names have always fascinated me. I’ve even written about names and naming in previous posts: What’s in a Name? and The Name Game. But what about name changing? Celebrities, like actors, musicians and other...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 15, 2015 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Nostalgia, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
Do you lose things? Misplace your glasses, keys, cellphone, or worse? A few weeks ago I saw advertised a bit of wizardry called TrackR bravo, a coin-sized, wireless device that attaches to anything you want to track. The two wholesome-looking, geeky guys who invented...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 11, 2015 | blog, book review, Coming of Age, Literature, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
Clearing out a house after death is a sacred act, yet no amount of holiness assigned to this task can dismiss the back-breaking, shoulder-aching, neck-craning job of sorting, recycling, and passing on to others the possessions of a loved one. Aside from clothing and...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 8, 2015 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Are you wishing for different weather just now? Maybe a change in scenery is all you need to perk up. After a rough winter, the drowsy dreaminess of a warm, languid clime may sound very appealing. If so, you have something in common with the middle-aged Lottie Wilkins...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 4, 2015 | Easter, Education, Literature, Reflection, Travel, Uncategorized
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...
