by MarianBeaman | Aug 25, 2021 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Travel, Uncategorized
When I was a plain, ten-year-old girl, I wanted to looked like Mary. My big brown eyes turned green with envy when Mary Martin and her sister Evelyn walked through the door at Grandma Fannie’s house for holiday dinners. Both were elegantly turned out, resplendent in...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 18, 2021 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Travel, Uncategorized
Howard and Faythe Landis don’t operate a bed and breakfast, but they are hospitality hosts extraordinaire nonetheless. We discovered their great hearts and open arms on our recent trip to Springfield, Missouri in mid-July. Before we ever boarded the...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 27, 2021 | blog, book review, neighborhood, popular culture, Quotations, Reflection, Tips, Uncategorized
Bobby Oliver read my book, Mennonite Daughter, and reviewed it the same week. Bobby is the ideal reader and reviewer, but he is certainly not my typical reader. Seven of the Amazon reviews of The Story of a Plain Girl are from men. Women are more apt than men to pick...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 7, 2021 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized
July is Mother’s birthday month. If she were still living, she would be 103 years old on the 23rd. Like most Mennonite women in the 1950s, Mother Ruth expended energy in keeping house, making meals, and preserving a garden...