by MarianBeaman | Jan 18, 2014 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Reflection, Uncategorized
This week we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, a tribute to the man with a vision for racial equality in the twentieth century and beyond. Just so, this post pays tribute to his dream and his legacy through a Mennonite lens. “Jesus Loves the Little Children, All...
by MarianBeaman | Jan 8, 2014 | Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Books, books, books! I had found the secret of a garret-room Piled high with cases in my father’s name, Piled high, packed large,—where, creeping in and out Among the giant fossils of my past, Like some small nimble mouse between the ribs Of a mastodon, I...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 11, 2013 | Education, Southern lady friends, Uncategorized
Watching episodes of Downton Abbey is like scarfing down balls of caramel corn while swilling champagne. The New Yorker I encountered Julian Fellowes, writer and creator of the Downton Abbey series, when he played Kilwillie, a distillery-owning...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 6, 2013 | Education, meditation, Quotations, Uncategorized
Diane Ackerman published years ago a “lusciously written” book entitled A Natural History of the Senses. My students enjoyed reading passages from the book for their summary assignments. Both poet and scientist in her approach, Ackerman has since written...
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...
