by MarianBeaman | Apr 18, 2018 | blog, Coming of Age, Gratitude, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Soon! Strawberries may not be ripe in your part of the world—yet! But they will come soon, Maybe in May or June. Sam Gamgee, Frodo Baggins’ sidekick, remembers the taste of strawberries: Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo? It’ll be spring soon. And the...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 20, 2017 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, popular culture, Romance
Norah Ephron wrote the screenplay for You’ve Got Mail in 1998. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film features two business rivals who can’t stand each other in real life but begin falling in love via online mail boxes. Cliff Writes Letters to Me Internet...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 30, 2017 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Found: a Forgotten Keepsake “Hey, look what I found, Marian.” My sister Janice ceremoniously lifted a booklet from a plastic bin in Aunt Ruthie’s attic and pushed it toward me so I could have a closer look. I recognized the cover, handmade of Valentine cutouts and...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 16, 2017 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Memory, Nostalgia
Once again, the attic at the Longenecker house has yielded up its treasures, all flat and light-weight, ensuring I will not lapse into collecting piles of stuff in my own home any time soon. So help me, God! All these artifacts are dated 1967, a very good year, the...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 26, 2017 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
My Grandma Fannie never graced a pulpit wearing clerical robes. She did not have a theology degree either. Certainly, no one ever addressed her as a Reverend. Yet one spring day in 1951 Fannie Martin Longenecker preached to the residents at Orville Mennonite Home. Her...
