Magical Memoir Moments

Tina, Mary, me, Gloria. Graduation Day, 1970.

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,…

Read More...

Mennonites and Santa: Then and Now

This picture of Santa and me, taken when I was one and a half years old, says a lot about my childhood, but tells only half the story. You would think, looking at this picture, that my family members were big fans of Santa and had lots of decorated trees, windows and presents. You would…

Read More...

The Things She Couldn’t Carry: Touching the Hem of My Grandmother’s Garment

After we die, who is left to tell our story? And what is left of who we were? My maternal grandmother Anna Mary Herr Hess died at the age of 56 when I was not quite three years old; hence, I do not consciously remember her living presence. Almost everything I know about my grandmother has…

Read More...

Going Grey Caused Me a Problem: Did I Do the Right Thing?

I like to think that I’m not vain about my looks. My make-up case is a sandwich bag, and I use its contents rarely. For my lips my favorite brand is Chapstick. But fifteen years ago, I did dye my hair and kept on doing it. Over time, I began to be curious about what…

Read More...