by MarianBeaman | Nov 27, 2013 | Gratitude, Memory, Uncategorized
This image is a work of an employee of the United States Farm Security Administration, taken as part of that person’s official duties. The image is in the public domain. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 23, 2013 | Education, Nostalgia, Reflection, Tips, Uncategorized
Tennis, touch football, swimming, sailing, horse-back riding . . . if it involved action, the Kennedy clan, including our 35th President, were at it! Though President Kennedy suffered from severe back pain, he was often photographed participating in sports. Through...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 20, 2013 | Coming of Age, Education, Gratitude, Memory, Uncategorized
Last Wednesday, into my inbox popped a message which included an invitation to lunch from Karen Bruner Upright, my former student at Florida State College. The last time I saw her, she was a “surprise” visitor at Christmas, marching up the walkway to our...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 16, 2013 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
My mother and I are waiting in Doctor Garber’s examining room, which always has a sharp smell of rubbing alcohol. She’s the patient, and I’m with her sitting on a chair eyeing the metal tray holding at least a dozen tiny vials, so cute they look like they could fit in...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 11, 2013 | meditation, Memory, Reflection, Uncategorized
Pause and reflect on the freedoms we enjoy! Veteran’s Day – 2013 Winner of “Thrill of the Chaste” book giveaway contest to be announced Wednesday, Nov....
by MarianBeaman | Nov 9, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Lists, meditation, Purple Passage, Reflection, Uncategorized
On Integrity You have my word, and my word is stronger than OAK! Quoted in the movie Jerry Maguire On Attitude Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful! Annette Funicello On perspective: Have you heard of the 18/40/60 rule? “When you’re eighteen, you...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 6, 2013 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Facebook asks boldly, “Do you want to post this on your wall?” meaning do you want this information available to your Facebook friends? Obviously, walls in the 1950s were not electronic. The only walls we knew then were made of plaster. But more on that...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 2, 2013 | Amish fiction, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Browse the inspirational-fiction section of most bookstores, and you will find cover after cover of comely young women wearing dresses with capes, and often pensive expressions . . . . Occasionally a male figure lingers in the background, his face obscured by a hat,...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 30, 2013 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
“Tick-uh-tick-uh-tick-uh-tick . . . ” The needle on my mom’s Singer sewing machine jabbed the orange crepe paper as her feet mumble on the treadle. Usually the material came from Mohr’s Fabrics in Lancaster or the Marian & Ruth Covering...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 26, 2013 | Lists, meditation, Quotations, Reflection, Tips, Uncategorized
Are you thriving–or just barely hanging on? This is a close-up of the logo from a woman’s retreat I attended a few months ago featuring Leslie Nease, Mrs. North Carolina 2001 and contestant on Survivor China 2007. A fitness trainer, she has written a book...