by MarianBeaman | Jan 12, 2022 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
Like a double-side mirror, reflect is one of those words with a dual meaning. It can either turn in upon itself or look outward. It can cast back light or enlighten the path ahead. The American Heritage Dictionary illuminates further: To give back a likeness, as...
by MarianBeaman | Jan 5, 2022 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Quotations
Photos re-create family history like nothing else can do. Before the Henry R. Longenecker family built their home near Rheems, Pennsylvania, they lived in a small house on the corner across from Bossler Mennonite Church. In the winter of 1922, someone (perhaps...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 15, 2021 | blog, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations
I wasn’t sure it would open. So my husband Cliff gathered assorted tools in case the clasp on Aunt Ruthie’s Diary had clamped shut with rust. A faux-leather, brown diary with an attached key has lain on my desk for years now. Ever since we cleared out Aunt...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 17, 2021 | blog, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized
Have you heard of Heman the Ezrahite? There’s a good chance you haven’t because he’s a rather obscure Old Testament character. I just learned about him recently. In the choirs of David, musicians Heman and Jeduthun were appointed to give thanks. It was literally their...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 20, 2021 | Amish, blog, book review, Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Lucinda and Her Books I’ve featured Mennonite author Lucinda J. on my blog a few years ago. When her first book came out in 2017, the memoir Anything but Simple, her name was Lucinda J. Miller. You can read that post here. A few years ago, she married Ivan and changed...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 13, 2021 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Quilt, Tips, Uncategorized
You’ve heard many metaphors for life, images that suggest how daily happenings can throw us into a tailspin: Life is like a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs Life is like a washing machine, churning round and round Life is like bumper cars, hitting one...