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...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 31, 2015 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, meditation, Memory, Travel, Uncategorized
“I’ve been robbed!’ These are the only words artist/performer Cliff can utter as he walks toward his Dodge van, noticing that the air-vent window on the driver’s side has been pushed in at an odd angle. It’s about 4:30 a.m. Good Friday, April 1, 1994. Rushing around...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 28, 2015 | Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
A centenarian! That’s what my Aunt Cecelia is today. Born March 28, 1915, Aunt Ceci is one-hundred years old. According to one source, only 7347 U. S. citizens are now 100 years old, and today my aunt has joined their ranks. Special things will happen to her...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 25, 2015 | book review, Conflict, Education, Gratitude, Neighborhood / Environment, popular culture, Travel, Uncategorized
Grandmother Kayaks from Maine to Guatemala for the Children at the Dump These were the words in my invitation to a reception promoting Project Safe Passage honoring Dr. Deb Walters’ efforts to raise funds via her Kayak trips. A stellar professional career behind...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 21, 2015 | Literature, meditation, Purple Passage, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
SPRING “Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like? “It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine . . . ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden [in Just-] a poem by e. e. cummings, (his name usually shown in lower case...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 18, 2015 | Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Where did you study? Was your desk a dining room or kitchen table? The couch? A separate room? Did you listen to music as you studied? Or did you tune out the noise of the household when you crammed for a test or wrote a report? Louise DeSalvo author of The Art of...
