by MarianBeaman | Sep 23, 2020 | blog, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Recipes, Uncategorized
The tradition of Sunday dinner with guests, thriving in our Mennonite (and larger) community as late as the early 1970s, was an expression of a communal spirit. It was an equally culinary and sacramental Sabbath experience. Now, except among the Plain...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 2, 2020 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia
At Rheems Elementary School in Pennsylvania, classes began right after Labor Day, just like clockwork. My aunt was my teacher in the first four grades, the charms and challenges of which I describe in my memoir. Miss Longenecker, aka my Aunt Ruthie, taught...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 22, 2020 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Memory, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
It’s not me . . . at least not yet (Gotcha going there, didn’t I!) Not long ago, Peggy Wheatcroft turned 80, and she did something amazing to mark the milestone. Rather than receive presents, she gave one, a gigantic one! Her gift(s) became a birthday...
by MarianBeaman | May 20, 2020 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
I chose B-E-A-U-T-Y as my focus word for 2020. Even if dozens of leviathans had dropped from the sky from Mars, never would I have imagined the impact world events would have on our collective experience in the first 5 months of this year. Wow, oh, wow! Below, you can...
by MarianBeaman | May 13, 2020 | blog, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Tips, Uncategorized
With strands of black and gray hair combed obediently over the curve of his head, my pastor saw the world and his place in it clearly through wire-rimmed glasses, a fixture on his nose. Even now, I cannot imagine he took many sideways...
