Category Archives: Affirmative thinking and living

Mark your Calendar, Hon!

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The universe is but one great city, full of beloved ones, divine and human, by nature endeared to each other. ~ Epictetus

Mark your calendars, right now! The 2014 Bawlmer Hon Fest is coming up in less than a month. This year it is June 14th and June 15th. It’s a whole weekend dedicated to the culture that I grew up on the outskirts of,  in the mid-Atlantic city of Baltimore. People like to poke fun over it’s regional subculture in self-deprecating humor.

Don’t know what I am talking about? The movie Hairspray with John Travolta will give you insight into what I am talking about. It’s hard to explain but once you are immersed in the jest, you’d quickly get it. It’s all about fun and fortune of being among friends or close family, hon, and speaking the same language.

That’s all I’m sayin’ except that the influences are there, in my memoir. I’ll say no more. I don’t want to get myself in trouble. Here are some pictures that might explain a little to outsiders.

 

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VIDEO OPTION: We're looking at the turnout for Honfest. Who's there? What are they doing? Do they really care about the HONtroversy?

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This blog brought to you by Sue BattonLeonard, the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Sue’s memoir

Come on back tomorrow, hon, I’ll be sharing some more childhood memories from living in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Writers Face Fears Head On

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“Have you realized that today is the tomorrow you talked about yesterday?  ― Jaachynma N.E. Agu, The Prince and the Pauper

Indeed, I have come to understand that! For many a year I had visions of writing and publishing our family’s story, and it has become a reality. Memoirs are important because they are not just about our immediate family. They often reflect and record a time in history, a culture or religion,  a way of being raised, and the values we pass on to the next generation.

Oh, there were times when I doubted, got discouraged or couldn’t find the right words, but I never let it stop me. Action led to fulfillment of those dreams. I made it happen!

Each time the task seemed daunting or I couldn’t find the right words or hit a road block I’d press on remembering the words of Bill Cosby “Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.”

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We published authors overcame our fears and live to tell the story of it!

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This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Sue’s memoir
 

Dreams Expressed in Art

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“Think left and think right, think high and think low. Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try.” ~ Dr. Seuss

kimball art what dreams are made ofWhile I was in Park City, Utah last week, I stopped by the Kimball Art Center and took in the exhibit “What Dreams are Made Of.” This gathering of work came from students in the Park City region from kindergarten to high school age.

The Kimball Art Center www.kimballartcenter.org serves more than 11,000 students annually with free visual art lessons and also serves the community with more than 300 art classes each year geared toward all ages including adults.

In many of the two and three dimensional pieces on display it was very clear what interests the children want to explore further in their childhood and into adult life. There were works of art that included themes such as dance, ski racing, equestrian, fashion, writing and publishing, architecture and much more. Different art forms were used to create this display of mixed media – collage, photography, pottery, paper mache, sketches to name a few.

New exhibits are on-going throughout the year at “The Kimball”  but I am happy that I was able to see the diverse interpretations through different children’s eyes and imaginations of “What Dreams are Made Of.” Through persistence, determination and hard work, hopefully many of these dreams will be fulfilled and realized.

Perhaps our society would benefit if more individuals could pursue what drives their spirit rather than just be focused on making a living. Fulfilling a dream feels wonderful. I recently published my memoir! Sue’s memoir

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Upcoming: An Artful Gathering

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“Your supposed to be using your gifts and fulfilling your dreams at every age.” ~Victoria Moran

image for blog about Kneading Hands event On May 23rd from 5-7 pm I will be one of three people who will be featured at an art reception at Kneading Hands Therapy. Kneading Hands has the distinction of being “Best of the Boat” as a leader in massage therapy. They also have a growing apothecary and retail gift shop.  http://www.kneadinghandstherapy.com/ Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected can now be purchased at Kneading Hands Therapy, so stop in anytime during their business hours or come the evening of May 23rd. I will be there and will personalize a copy of my newly released memoir just for you, if buy it. Kali Waldman, a multi-media artist whose love of art began at a young age will be present. Some of her art is abstract with unintentional messages that appear in many of her pieces which helps her to name them. Kali also enjoys photography and handbuilding with clay. For more information on her art, here is a link https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaliart/263624433681489?ref=hl. Lori Aigner will be present to talk about the Tower Garden, an aeroponic growing system. Her information will be timely, as planting gardens here in mountain country is just around the corner. Kneading Hands Therapy will have sale items, giveaways and refreshments. Stop in! I’m excited to be included in this event because the reception involves gals who are growing their passions through business and life – so an evening of  all things fulfilling! Thank you, Ali Boehm.  I’m looking forward to the event. This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Sue’s memoir

A Mothers Day Secret

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Grown don’t mean nothing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What’s that suppose to mean? In my heart it don’t mean a thing. ~Toni Morrison, Beloved, 1987

Now that  Mother’s Day is over I can tell you what I got Mom since my  present that I was planning came much earlier than expected, thanks to the efficiency of my publishers, The Bookcrafters.

You see, I had been planned on giving my Mom the first copy of my new publication Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected as a Mothers’ Day surprise.Sue’s memoir But, someone in the family found out through the internet that my book was  available before I was ready to reveal it and spread the news to my mother. She bought a copy for herself immediately! So much for my good intentions and my secret.

Heart pillow for MomSo began my quandry. What to give Mom for Mother’s Day, instead of the book. It was solved when I stepped into Kneading Hands Therapy’s apothecary and gift shop to bring them copies of my memoir to sell. There it was, a little heart pillow, artfully decorated with a small banner that said “Write it on your heart that everyday is the best day of the year.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Perfect,” I thought, ” mom will love it.”

My mom really needs no reminder of this adage because she already has a zest for living and a unfaltering positive attitude toward life. Thankfully she has tried hard to pass on her joie de vivre to me, my siblings and her grandchildren. But, I thought, “she might like to hang the heart pillow from her bookshelves in her library or from the bedpost as a reminder to have faith, hope and find love in being alive every day on this earth even if things get more difficult with aging. She and my Dad are in their mid-eighties.”

Hope you had a great Mother’s Day, Mom. I was thinking of you and how grateful I am that you have had a long,healthy life to enjoy your four children and the grandchildren, too.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

 

 

Getting the News Out

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“Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.” ~ ― Adelaide Hoodless

communications todayFriday’s blog News over the Fence made me think further of how communications have changed over the ages. Through the decades we have gone from “meet me at the fence” to meet me on I.M. For those who are not tech savvy, that means meet me on the computer and we will talk digitally through instant messaging!

In the early years of telephone communications the women who ran the switchboards had their own web of communications through party lines. Reportedly the operators listened into everybody’s conversations, and when something of hot interest happened in small towns, the switchboard lit up, then the good word spread like wildfire throughout the community.

Women also gossiped when hanging laundry on the clotheslines in their yards, if their neighbors were close enough to dispatch the latest low-down.

Way back in history,  town criers broadcast news from the town square and men on horseback rode from town to town spreading the latest hearsay. The telegraph was also useful in tapping out messages of urgency.

When the printing press came into being, spreading the news became much easier. In fact, when I was growing up many newspapers, like the Baltimore Sun, had morning and evening editions of their daily publications.

These days, news travels in an instant through computers. And once it is broadcast digitally, there is no way to retract what we say. It’s delivered in the blink of an eye through cyberspace, so be careful. There can be great benefits to that however. It means we can learn of happenings and events globally, very quickly.

Return tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, I’ll tell you a story of how news over the internet sidetracked my plans for Mother’s Day this year.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Sue’s memoir

 

 

News over the Fence

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“How beautiful on the mountains are on the feet of those who bring good news.” ~ The Bible

My sister Jan had just walked in the door from work the other day when her telephone rang.
picket fence“Meet me at the fence,” her neighbor said. With urgency Jan threw down her pocketbook and ran out the back door wondering what the issue was this time. For twenty-five plus years whenever a “meet me at the fence” call came through between Jan and her neighbor, something was up. One of them had some kind of news to share with the other.

Jan stood at the fence waiting for her neighbor for a few minutes. Then watched her walk from her house across the lawn with one hand behind her back and a huge smile on her face. Jan knew from her expression it was good news, this time. Jan’s friend and her husband are police officers and sometimes she encounters difficult days, and needs to talk.

“Oh, my gosh, Jan!” her neighbor said “I can’t stop laughing. I love this book I am reading.”

“What are you reading?” Jan inquired.

The neighbor took the book from behind her back, where she was hiding it. It was a copy of “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.”

“That’s my sisters book!” Jan said, with enthusiasm and surprise.

“I know it! That’s one of the reasons why I bought it!” said her neighbor. I’ve told everyone down at the police station they’ve got to buy it. It’s a balm for the heart and the soul when things in the world are too depressing and you want to uplift the spirit.

The author thanks you, Beth,  from the mountains of Steamboat Springs, Colorado! I am happy to hear you like the book. Many publications are sold when news of a good read travels beyond fences!

This blog brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. Sue’s memoir Come on back to All Things Fulfilling on Monday.

 

 

 

Paper Flowers Redux

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“My dear girl, you must cultivate a taste for the finer things. Civilized pleasures give meaning to life.” 

― Barbara Taylor Bradford,  Being Elizabeth

Did you read yesterday’s blog about my childhood fiasco of trying to take my little brother on a road trip? If not, check it out.

Speaking of road trips – A few weeks ago, a friend and I took a journey from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. We gallery hopped, window shopped and had a tasty lunch. It was a wonderful and a much needed day away for both of us just before Easter.

Not only did my friend get to return to something familiar from her past, so did I. My book, Sue’s memoirGift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected had only been published shortly before and as I entered into a fanciful women’s  clothing shop, called Confetti Design http://www.confettidesign.net. I was nearly blown away when I saw their window dressing!

glenwood springs paper flowers dressThere she stood a shapely women, a manikin, dressed in a fitting Easter outfit all made from tissue paper flowers. I couldn’t believe my eyes! My memoir has a chapter entitled Paper Roses. which recounts my fulfilling experience of learning to make and sell paper flowers as a project in  junior Girl Scouts.

I had never seen an entire frock made out of tissue paper flowers. As you can see from this image, it was gorgeous and so was the women’s clothing shop. The store had a real vibrancy to it, every color in the spectrum was represented in their high quality and creatively decorated shop. The sales clerks in it could not have been more hospitable either.

I could have shopped til I dropped, but instead I behaved myself. I’m trying to be fiscally conservative so I can properly get the word out about my publication through a diverse marketing plan and that takes some bucks.

Some day soon, I will take Barbara Taylor Bradford’s advice and will return to Confetti Designs with cash in my pocket to splurge on something deserved and special just for ME – perhaps an accoutrement to an outfit for a book talk! From all appearances, the ladies in Confetti have an outstanding eye for style and design.  Maybe they will help me find just the right thing. I will be back!

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I want to remind everyone to shop around by visiting different blogs – it’s a great way to discover fascinating sites and topics through the world-wide-web. You never know what you might run into that may peak your interest. Looking for a fun fashion blog? Visit http://invisiblecrowne.blogspot.com/. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. 

 

A Life Lesson

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“The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing.” ~ Poet Jean Toomer

IMAG0002Just seeing the image of this car brings back memories of one of the first times it dawned on me that someone is always watching over me.

Here’s what happened that caused my reckoning. My parents had a car exactly like the one pictured. One day my twin and I and our little brother who was about four at the time, got into a little mischief.

My twin and I had decided we were taking our brother on a road trip. We were getting out of Dodge (Towson, Maryland) while our mother was otherwise occupied with our youngest brother. He was just a newborn. The three of us piled into the front seat of the sedan and began trying to move the steering wheel, pushing all kinds of  knobs and buttons. Since the car engine was off , moving the steering wheel was next to impossible! Suddenly one of us must have hit the emergency brake and released it. The car began rolling backward.

My sister and I quickly jumped out of the car and grabbed the front bumper. The car miraculously came to a stop. “We ‘re as strong as Popeye,” we both thought. We were convinced our awesome strength and determination had prevented the disasterous result of having the car roll down the drive and hit a tree with our little brother in it. (Mind you, we were nine and my twin and I were very underweight. Our strength combined was only enough to stop a flea from jumping off the carpet).

Lesson learned as a child: It’s not a bright idea to play in a car.

Retrospective lessons learned as an adult: Someone much greater than myself was looking out for the three of us. Yes, I am here to tell you there such thing as God’s protection.

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.Sue’s memoir

 

 

 

 

Moving and Birth

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untitled“Having a baby is painful in order to show how serious a thing life is.” ~ author Lisa See

At the end of last week my husband and I changed residences. As we went through the process, I began to think of the analogy between moving and giving birth:

Through both you have to do the work and you are faced with labor. Yet if you want to make way for newness in your life, you must bear down, face it and go through it, whether you want to or not.

Once you’ve gotten through each event, you can look back and laugh. You forget all the pain and agony that was packed with the experience.

I’ve moved many times throughout my life. My most transient years were after I graduated college until the time I married. Come on back tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. We will be visiting the neighborhood where I lived for the first 18 years of my life. It is where many of the stories in my memoir took place – in Towson, Maryland.

Sue’s memoir