by MarianBeaman | Jan 14, 2026 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Looking back Seven years ago, in 2019, I wrote my first memoir. One of my goals was to discover the source of my father’s anger, often directed to me. I had a mostly happy childhood because of close ties with my extended family. Yet, over a dozen pages in Mennonite...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 17, 2025 | blog, Christmas, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Reflection, Uncategorized
Where was I? Sitting on the back of an open truck bed on itchy hay bales in temperatures just above freezing sounds like torture. But it actually didn’t feel that way for me many, many years ago. Teens from our church and young adults used the open, long bed of an...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 10, 2025 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, popular culture, Uncategorized
Three generations of family gathered at our house in 1998 for a Florida Christmas. Two Daltons came from Chicago, Illinois; two Longeneckers from Pennsylvania, and a bunch of Jacksonville aunts, uncles and cousins joined the group at our house in Killarney Shores...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 1, 2025 | blog, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
What Help Looks like What Sparked the Inspiration for this Blog Post? Apparently out of nowhere, this rectangular item from the “olden days” appeared in one of my bedroom dresser drawers. It has probably been there for a long time, but I haven’t noticed it . ....
by MarianBeaman | Sep 17, 2025 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations
What I Saw I sit on a green stuffed chair in my Grandma Longenecker’s parlor. The top of my back legs feel a little itchy. My mother has starched my Sunday dress to make the skirt stand out nice and pretty. Because I am little, I can see the tips of my high-top shoes,...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 20, 2025 | blog, British History, Easter, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
10 Scents from My Young Life 1. Saffron in Grandma’s pot pie Grandma used burnt-orange threads of saffron from a white packet. Mine comes in a tiny glass jar from Homegoods, more expensive, of course. 2. Tomatoes on vine in our Bainbridge, Pennsylvania...
