by MarianBeaman | Nov 15, 2014 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Nostalgia, Recipes, Tips, Uncategorized
BAKE It’s cold outside, maybe even Polar-vortex cold, and Saturdays with Grandma or Aunt or Mom will be spent indoors. One cold day three of our grandkids warmed up the house, at least the kitchen, with cupcake baking. Yes, it’s fun to help mix up the...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 8, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Tips, Uncategorized
Unlike Hansel and Gretel, whose mother tried to starve them and then lock them out of the house, Mother Longenecker provided well for her children and left behind, not white pebbles or bread crumbs, but hand-written notes tucked away to tag her heirlooms. Each note...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 22, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
The bustle in a house The morning after death Is solemnest of industries Enacted upon earth, — The sweeping up the heart, And putting love away We shall not want to use again Until eternity. Emily Dickinson was referring to the morning after the death of a loved...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 11, 2014 | Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Tips, Uncategorized
Just behind my desk, a wicker table holds three hat-boxes: One is floral, another has a repeating Tuscan scene and the third is transparent, the contents held taut by pale blue gossamer fabric. All are chock full of memorabilia from days gone by. All three, a type of...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 30, 2014 | Education, Family / Nostalgia, Lists, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
A Fable A tortoise had become friendly with two geese who promised to take it to their home in the mountains. The plan: The geese would hold a stick in their beaks while the tortoise would grasp it in the middle with his mouth, but he must be careful not to talk....
by MarianBeaman | Jun 28, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Tips, Uncategorized
This week at Mom’s house, I attempted to re-create a scene from my childhood – in the same house, on the same chair, with one of the same Ball-Mason jars from the mother’s stash in the cellar. The kind with tiny bubbles crystallized within the glass...
