by MarianBeaman | Nov 30, 2022 | blog, book review, Literature, popular culture, Quotations, Romance, Uncategorized
“Bam! I start, the dogs leap up. The windows rattle. The whole house shakes.” As Dani Shapiro’s memoir begins, the author, warm and toasty in her office spies her husband “in the dead of winter, in the driveway wearing nothing but a white terry-cloth bathrobe,...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 19, 2022 | blog, book review, Cliff Beaman artist, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
“Go home and finish writing your new book. I want to read it!” Barbara and I are leaving our Monday morning Bible study. She is only half-kidding when she delivers this quip. Barbara has read Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl. She is looking forward...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 5, 2022 | blog, book review, Coming of Age, Education, Literature, Neighborhood / Environment, Nostalgia, Quotations, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized
Cranes, roosters, snakes and an antique yellow Olds! These are among the attractions (or distractions) in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, the home of the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Yearling, made into a movie by the same title. In late...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 14, 2022 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Memory, Quotations, Reflection
Do you remember being pushed as a kid on a swing? Maybe your Mom or Dad, or a big brother or sister gave you a big push. And then another. And another. After a while, your legs started pumping on their own. Sitting on my mother’s lap, I heard the cadence of a...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 3, 2022 | blog, book review, Cliff Beaman artist, Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Memory, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
The Emerald City lies in the center of the Land of Oz, at the end of the yellow brick road in Frank Baum’s fabled story, The Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900. In the center of the city is the fairy-tale Palace where the redoubtable Wizard resides. ...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 27, 2022 | blog, Literature, popular culture, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
Cataclysmic events have rocked our world. This past year we have been confronted with the relentless effects of COVID-19, the unprovoked war in Ukraine, horrific school shootings, the border crisis, continual political unrest–and more. Regardless of your stance...
