by MarianBeaman | Dec 28, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
It was twilight. And twilight was turning to dusk as Cliff and I sat down to eat supper. He said, “Let’s light a candle.” She said, “Well, that’s a good idea. It’ll look pretty.” One of us said, “Let’s put the candle into the curio cabinet. The mirrors behind will...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 21, 2013 | Conflict, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
The Longenecker Christmas Tree. Well, there was none. Not one. Not ever. Despite the fact that the Christmas song, “O Tannenbaum” is of German origin, most Pennsylvania Dutch Mennonite homes of the 1950s and 60s did not light Christmas trees. Decorated...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 7, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, meditation, Memory, Nostalgia, Purple Passage, Reflection, Uncategorized
HOPE Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul. Emily Dickinson Hope is like a road in the country. There never was a road, but when many people traveled it, it came into existence. Lyn Yutang Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 4, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
My Marriage in Vacuum Cleaners My mom still has the same vacuum cleaner she’s had for decades, a blue, bullet-shaped machine with a snorkel hose at one end. Think of a mechanical Dachshund, a hot dog with a waist-line problem. “It still does the...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 30, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Recipes, Uncategorized
When our children were little and our family visited Mother and Daddy in Lancaster County, PA , we could always count on an enamel-coated refrigerator drawer full of soup–either chicken corn or vegetable–to get us revived after a long car trip from...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 27, 2013 | Gratitude, Memory, Uncategorized
This image is a work of an employee of the United States Farm Security Administration, taken as part of that person’s official duties. The image is in the public domain. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I...