by MarianBeaman | Jul 1, 2026 | blog, book review, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Memory, Novel writing, Reflection, Uncategorized
“I don’t drink coffee,” Alex said. “Then who drinks coffee at your house?” I replied, eying the coffee-themed plaques on her kitchen wall. Her quick answer, “Oh, Andy does, and I liked organizing the coffee display on my...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 3, 2026 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Reflection, Romance, Travel, Uncategorized
Dazzling sights and sounds, succulent cuisine, ringing bells and Adriatic breezes. Those were my recollections from our cruise to the Mediterranean in April 2026. Now, in early June, I’m reflecting on our travel to eastern Europe from a different perspective,...
by MarianBeaman | May 20, 2026 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Tips, Travel, Uncategorized
“The business of life is the acquisition of memories. In the end, that’s all there is.” Carson pontificating to Mrs. Hughes, Downton Abbey Where we traveled in mid-April 2026 The Balkans are the former Yugoslavia, with leaders in its history like Tito...
by MarianBeaman | May 6, 2026 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Travel, Uncategorized
Do you dream? Not just at night, but do you sometimes zone out in a pleasant way during the day? As Robert Olen Butler suggests in his book, From Where Your Dream, there is power in dreaming to create art.” Why? “Only the unconscious can fit together the stuff...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 25, 2026 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Uncategorized
“It’s a spring cleaning ritual – but for your body,” touts reporter Jennifer Sheehan, extolling the merits of eating dandelion. “It cleans your blood and you get a lot of good vitamins from it,” another endorsement I read in Sheehan’s article from Lehigh...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 11, 2026 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Purple Passage, Quotations, Uncategorized
Fiery hot July signaled tomato-picking time in the Longenecker family in the 1950s. Two generations of women in our family worked hard in the fields in torrid temperatures. When I look at a film clip that Aunt Ruthie took of Mom in the tomato rows, I see her body...
