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...
Snow & Sled and New Year’s Resolutions
Photos re-create family history like nothing else can do. Before the Henry R. Longenecker family built their home near Rheems, Pennsylvania, they lived in a small house on the corner across from Bossler Mennonite Church. In the winter of 1922, someone (perhaps...
A New Year’s Wish for You in 2022
Happy New Year! https://youtu.be/tZa6HxrhZao Comments closed.
Heidi’s Homosassa Holiday Decor
My niece Heidi and her husband own a VRBO in Homosassa Springs, Florida. I took you on a tour of the house and nearby attractions in April 2021. In early December, I revisited the house. During the holiday season Heidi decorated a tree with tropical treasures. The...
Diary Secrets at the Push of a Button
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...
The Story of Jacques and Shorey
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...
Who is Heman? Thanksgiving 2021
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...