Magical Memoir Moments
Thin Places: Where Earth and Heaven Touch
“You don’t plan a trip to a thin place; you stumble upon one.” —Eric Wiener Twenty years ago I set out on a journey to England hoping to experience what I had read about in books. I eagerly anticipated the Wordsworth Winter School in the Lake District where I imagined striding through the atmospheric fells…
The Ultimate Touchstone of Friendship: Witness
Mary, Tina, and Gloria were the main characters in the mini memoir of my life called The College Years. Here we are about to graduate. Tina appears to have the stage. There were a few things we still didn’t know. 🙂 Like all graduates, we had no idea of where we would ultimately live, travel,…
The Tie that Binds: How Mennonite College Friendships Grew from Twig to Vine
I’ve just said good-bye to my three closest college friends: Mary, Tina, and Gloria. We gathered in Gloria’s home, State College, Pennsylvania, just to renew our friendship for three days. This photo was taken next to a pergola covered with trumpet vine. The story of how the vine grew over time, told by Gloria the…
Praising Herald Press: A Birthday Guest Post for Jane Friedman
I’m on my way out the door on my birthday. I’m celebrating in two locations today. First, there was breakfast at the Prince Street Cafe in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Then I discovered that I had a guest post over on Jane Friedman’s blog. So that was another reason to celebrate, and to share with you here….
Happy Independence Day: Memoir Photo, Report, and Check-In
Every memoir includes some things and leaves some things out. The picture above didn’t make it into Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World, so I’m sharing it now. My family will be gathering tonight with my sister Doris on top of the hill of what used to be called The Home Place to…
Memoirs for High School Students: Do You Have a Suggestion or List?
Last weekend three of my college friends and I met in the beautiful home of my friend Tina in Virginia. We first spied each other in September, 1966, when we played hookey from college orientation sessions and walked to the local pizza shop instead. We have remained in each other’s lives ever since. Tina is…