by MarianBeaman | Jan 10, 2015 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
Every single memory of snow in my childhood is pleasant. Sparkling flakes in luminous free-fall as I look out the kitchen window. Snow festooning evergreen boughs. Then bundling up in snowsuits, knitted caps, mittens. Getting out the sleds. After more than one...
by MarianBeaman | Jan 7, 2015 | book review, Coming of Age, Conflict, Education, Literature, Quilt, Uncategorized
Sue Monk Kidd, best known for her debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, has published her third novel, the acclaimed The Invention of Wings (2014). My Review A full-page spread advertising Sue Monk Kidd’s latest work of historical fiction recently appeared in...
by MarianBeaman | Jan 3, 2015 | Education, Quilt, Reflection, Uncategorized
How do you see yourself – Kitchen Goddess, Diva of Design, Mom’s Taxi, Writer Extraordinaire, Care-Taker? Artist Haley Hasler paints herself as a strong woman in super-abundant settings usually with children and often with food. Currently displayed at the...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 30, 2014 | Gratitude, meditation, Uncategorized
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Readers and commenters like you fuel my inspiration. Thank you for your part in a successful year of blogging. Here’s an excerpt: The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 30, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Happy New Year! My wish for you in 2015 and beyond is expressed in a card sent to Grandma Fannie Longenecker in 1913. And some fresh camellias too! Happy New Year ~~ Happy New Year ~~ Happy New Year Next post in January 2015: Who’s Coming...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 27, 2014 | Education, Gratitude, meditation, Purple Passage, Quotations, Uncategorized
Christmas: Time to Feel the Spirit Christmas is not [just] a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. – President Calvin Coolidge I will honor Christmas in my heart, and...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
This post first appeared Christmas 2013. The trees are similar, the presents are different, but the message never changes. Blessings to all my readers and commenters this past year!
by MarianBeaman | Dec 17, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Lists, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Uncategorized
Color psychologists say red represents energy, passion, and motivation to act. Red is everywhere this season: Santa’s costume, cranberry dishes, poinsettias. I’m seeing red too. In Ian’s Santa cap at the Orchestra Zoo . . . In Mother’s...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 13, 2014 | Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
When I registered online for the 5th season premiere of Downton Abbey, there were fifty-nine (yes, 59!) salutations to choose from on the drop-down menu. These included Father, Monsignor, Cantor, Rabbi, Lieutenant Commander, Dean, Major, Mayor, and the humbler Mr. or...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 10, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
What do Trayvon Williams, Michael Brown and the Little Match Girl have in common? Read on! The Little Match Girl – Hans Christian Andersen, 1846 On a cold winter’s eve, a poor girl shivering on the street tries to sell matches afraid to return home to her father...
