by MarianBeaman | Apr 15, 2015 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Nostalgia, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
Do you lose things? Misplace your glasses, keys, cellphone, or worse? A few weeks ago I saw advertised a bit of wizardry called TrackR bravo, a coin-sized, wireless device that attaches to anything you want to track. The two wholesome-looking, geeky guys who invented...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 11, 2015 | blog, book review, Coming of Age, Literature, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
Clearing out a house after death is a sacred act, yet no amount of holiness assigned to this task can dismiss the back-breaking, shoulder-aching, neck-craning job of sorting, recycling, and passing on to others the possessions of a loved one. Aside from clothing and...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 31, 2015 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, meditation, Memory, Travel, Uncategorized
“I’ve been robbed!’ These are the only words artist/performer Cliff can utter as he walks toward his Dodge van, noticing that the air-vent window on the driver’s side has been pushed in at an odd angle. It’s about 4:30 a.m. Good Friday, April 1, 1994. Rushing around...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 21, 2015 | Literature, meditation, Purple Passage, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
SPRING “Is the spring coming?” he said. “What is it like? “It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine . . . ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden [in Just-] a poem by e. e. cummings, (his name usually shown in lower case...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 7, 2015 | Education, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Tips, Uncategorized
I just talked to my brother Mark in Pennsylvania, and our 15-minute conversation was interspersed with his exclaiming . . . “It’s sleeting.” Then, a few minutes later, “It’s raining . . .” And finally, “It’s sleeting again!” It’s March and most people north of the...
by MarianBeaman | Feb 25, 2015 | Education, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite Lore, popular culture, Uncategorized
Two “Beautiful” Stories today . . . Jenna’s Story My auburn-haired granddaughter Jenna is very cute, and people frequently tell her how pretty she is. From an early age (here at 3 1/2), she has loved to primp and preen. Even before she turned two,...