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School Opens: Aunt Ruthie’s Diary Speaks

School Opens: Aunt Ruthie’s Diary Speaks

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...
Fresh!

Fresh!

by MarianBeaman | Jul 15, 2020 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Quotations, Tips

“The ground is terrible here. You can’t grow anything decent in this dirt!” Years ago, that was my dad’s pronouncement when he assessed the state of affairs in my sister Janice’s garden close to our house in Florida. True, in a land where juicy oranges, plump...
Cherry Ames and Curious George, What Do They Have in Common?

Cherry Ames and Curious George, What Do They Have in Common?

by MarianBeaman | Jun 3, 2020 | blog, book review, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized

Do You Remember the Bobbsey Twins Books? Recently I read Jennifer Weiner’s novel, Mrs. Everything, which alluded to iconic books and products of the 1950s, like the Bobbsey Twins, Almay soap, Prell shampoo and Ship ‘n Shore blouses. Overall, her book is not a...
Mennonite Daughter: Creating a Book Trailer

Mennonite Daughter: Creating a Book Trailer

by MarianBeaman | May 27, 2020 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized

What happens after a festive book launch and a fruitful book tour? Mennonite Daughter is still peddling. The Story of a Plain Girl is still logging “book-mobile” miles. But now she has a book trailer!   A book trailer helps build hype for your book. It interjects...
Picturing Beauty through a 2020 Lens

Picturing Beauty through a 2020 Lens

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...
Martin and Suie Kraybill, Pillars of Faith: Post 505

Martin and Suie Kraybill, Pillars of Faith: Post 505

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...
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