Category Archives: Audio Books

Take Time: Celebrate Self

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When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow. ~ unknown

If it’s been a challenging year, and we all have times when it rains on our parade, there is even more to praise for having gotten through it. Sometimes it’s hard to beat our own drum and we need a little help. In this article there are ten good suggestions, in case you are at a loss.

One of the best ways to celebrate self is to tap into your inner child. Walk in the rain, deck yourself out in colors of the rainbow, run in a gunnysack race just for the pure fun of it. Toast up some marshmallows and don’t worry about your waistline, find a swing set in the park and find glory in the feelings of freedom as you soar clear up to the sky.

Find your own bliss and celebrate life!

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This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her award-winning publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Exploring Roots and Characters

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I believe that the memoir is the novel of the 21st century; it’s an amazing form that we haven’t even begun to tap…we’re just getting started figuring out what the rules are.”  ~ Susan Cheever

Have you ever considered how our lives are made up of stories? Everyone has stories to tell and some people are natural storytellers. However, sometimes getting stories down on paper is not as easy as telling them orally.

Think about family stories for a minute. Unless these rich narratives are written down and published, future generations will never know them. The characters who sprouted from the family tree will be lost.
Not to be overly-dramatic, the truth is that unless we share family stories through the form of memoir writing, in a few generations down the road we risk becoming like be a nation of adoptees who don’t know who their parents or grandparents were.

The good news is, we are living in an age where ordinary people can write and publish their stories independently. You don’t have to have a big family name behind you or sensational story to tell in order to become published. Resources are freely available for ordinary people.

Publishing a story for personal fulfillment is reward enough. But future generations will greatly appreciate knowing something about their family narrative because so many tales just get lost.

family link to the past and bridge to future

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Author of an award-winning memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Reading: A Vintage Idea

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Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book. –Author Unknown

It’s not pop-psychology or new age thinking that a love of reading has many fulfilling advantages. Books stimulate the mind, they transport us to different places, we get to meet interesting characters with diverse personalities and learn something about different cultures. Literature broadens our world and exposes us to new concepts and ideas. Here is what some influential writers say about the magic of reading.

Today, I thought we’d take a trip down memory lane and see some of the vintage signs that indicate “reading is good for you.” These placards and posters have decorated libraries, reading rooms, bookstores and other platforms over the decades.

Come along and think back to when you obtained your first library card. What did it feel like? A priviledge? Freedom? A passport into a new world?

I heard one man, my father say “the day he got his first library card, it was like the best gift he had ever been given.”  My reply to that was “Oh, and then came the wife and the children….” Just kiddin’ Dad. We know you’d be lost without your books!

Seriously, if you have young children, one of the best things you can do is let them catch you reading, frequently! Happy Reading, everyone!

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This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on the award-winning Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, click here. And for Lessons of Heart & Soul, click here.

Summertime. The Way it Ought to Be.

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“Summertime is always the best of what might be.” ~ Charles Bowden
There is an article circulating over the internet that makes me feel as if the person who wrote it, an Italian teacher, really gets what living an inspired life is all about. He understands the way summer is supposed to be and the feelings of adolescence that seem to go along hand and hand with the season. Many of the youthful feelings of summer that are cited in this article return to me year after year, no matter what stage of my life I am in.

Read this article about the summer assignment the italian teacher gave to his students.
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How about you? Do you have certain youthful feelings that return this time of year? What do you think causes a stirring of these dreamy and magical emotions that don’t come any other time of year?

Is it the more laid-back approach that comes with summertime? Is it because we shed much of our clothing and live less bundled up, which leads to freer feelings? Is it the memorable sights, sounds and tastes of summer that come only one season of the year? What is it? I’d like to hear from you!

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard. Award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Windows into a Life

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“Memoir isn’t the summary of a life; it’s a window into a life” ~ William Zinsser

It was a good turnout on Monday when I spoke with the Routt County Council on Aging about memoir writing. We discussed how to begin writing, ways to stir the memory pot and shorter forms of beginning to create a picture of one’s life.

During the Q & A period, at the end of my presentation, there were a number of very thoughtful questions asked.

One woman wanted to know whether you can start your life story in the here and now and work backwards. “Yes”, I told her, “lots of people do that.” In order to handle it well, it helps to have good developmental editing and perhaps a more skilled author. Flashbacks and the use of various scenes are helpful in writing backwards. We also discussed the importance of selecting only those significant life vignettes that have contributed to forming you as the person you are, rather than including an entire lifetime from beginning to end.

Common-Threads-Logo-300x155 (1)The same woman then followed up with another thoughtful question inquiring whether individual stories can be used as a memoir. I suggested she stitch the stories together with a common thread. Then I went on to mention the common themes that run throughout my award-winning memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, a collection of short stories(anthology).

After the presentation was wrapped up a number of individuals mentioned they are currently working on or have dreams of writing children’s books or novels. Others wish to write their memoirs or tales about other family members. I hope they all actively pursue their writing interests because the good news is  

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. Have a great day everybody! This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected  or short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

 

For this Child

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On April 10,  1988, a week after Easter, my husband and I had our son baptized in the church where I grew up. That day started an awakening of sorts for me. I stood on the altar in front of the baptismal font, promising to raise our son as a Christian.

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I also began to realize the awesome responsibility I had to my son to raise him the best way that I possibly knew how with my husband. That included a desire to share my beliefs with him as he grew up. I knew that adorable little infant would face a complicated journey called life, and having a foundation of faith, I felt would be important.

Several times over recent years I have blogged about how our society has changed since the decades of my growing up. In my opinion, there seems to be a lack of accountability to a “higher being.” One wonders whether this fundamental has changed our American culture.

I am curious. If you are a parent, did having children change your faith in small or big ways? Please post your comment.

This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Meet Me at The Movies

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“Healing Art is being born as we speak. The concept is catching fire, is awakening in people’s spirits…Artists, musicians and dancers are realizing their imagery has meaning….that their imagery heals them, others, their neighborhood, or the earth.” ~ Michael Samuels

meet me at the moviesThe Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington is partnering with several organizations to bring back classic movies because of their power to connect seniors with memories. The Alzheimer’s Association’s Western and Central Washington Chapter and the University of Washington School of Nursing along with Artists for Alzheimer’s/I’m Still Here Foundation have sponsored Meet Me at the Movies to celebrate film and it’s ability to stir the human emotions. An interesting partnering isn’t it? It speaks to the power of art to heal.

During the great Depression, people flocked to the movies because the entertainment cinema provided gave them relief from every day stresses. The eldest of the eldest of our country’s population, those in their late “renaissance years” remember the Golden Age of Movies and dancing every Saturday night. Alternatively, family and friends sat huddled together in front of the radio engaged in shows that united people and provided diversions to forget the financially difficult times and as ways to uplift their spirits.

Stories through the decades whether by film, book or through audio listening inspire, influence, entertain and change lives.

Do return on Monday. Next week I’ll have a few announcements! Have a great weekend.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. Her publications are available in audio, paperback and e-book format.

May Day, May Day

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“Each of us has a spark of life inside us, and our highest endeavor ought to be to set off that spark in one another.” – Kenny Ausubel

I’ve got a big responsibility ahead of me for Friday, May 1st. I’ll be speaking with  Junior Girl Scout Troop #12622 about my memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. For a couple of weeks I have been churning ideas over in my mind about how to creatively engage a group of  9 & 10 year olds. After all, it’s been decades since I was a Girl Scout and I want to make sure what I share is engaging, age appropriate and relatable.

I’ve been wrestling with several approaches. Finally, I decided to say “May Day, May Day” and call on two former Girl Scouts, baby boomers just like me, to help me come up with some suggestions. Their spark of an idea has given me something to really build on and I can’t wait to share “One Day in the Life of a Writer” with the youth.

I am so looking forward to connecting with the Girl Scouts and sharing my heart and soul about my passion for writing. Thank you former Girl Scouts, Sharon & Caryn, for your excellent suggestions.

I have three weeks to refine and polish up my act. From now until May 1st ,  I need to remember to:

Keep Calm and Eat Girl Scout CookiesP.S. I hope they are still selling them on Sunday mornings at the United Methodist Church of Steamboat. If not, I have an idea where I can find some – from a lady who says “she has been hording them in her freezer. She said she likes to bring them out on July 4th.”

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. Her books include Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Re-Enactment of a Sacred Time

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All of spiritual practice is a matter of relationship: to ourselves, to others, to life’s situations. – Jack Kornfield

As you will come to understand when you read my memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, our parents sometimes allowed my brothers, sister and me to do things unconventionally.

Mom recently found this memorabilia in her hope chest. She had forgotten she had tucked away these writings nearly fifty years ago when my sister and brothers and I were little children.

I will leave it up to the readers imaginations as to what my sister Jan, my brother Rick and a dear neighbor named Margy and I were planning. If you wish to fully understand what we were up to, there is a poignant chapter in my memoir that goes with this program. Even though I did not have these writings before I published my memoir they were not needed for my storytelling because I so vividly remember this day and others just like it. It would have been nice however, to have been able to include these writings in my publication.

My youngest brother Scott was not mentioned in this program. But as the years went on, we planned other similar events and Scott became an active participant.

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During this week of holy celebration of Easter, I thought it would be an appropriate time to  share this treasure from my mother’s hope chest. When I read this, it warms me to the depth of my inner being. It’s a reflection of many fulfilling times that I had as a child with my siblings.

So as not to give anything away to those who haven’t read my award-winning anthology of stories yet, try to imagine in your mind where this event may have taken place. Read the book and see if you were right.

This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, the author of the award-winning book (an anthology) Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

 

 

 

Son Shine Today

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“Today you are you! It is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-are than you! ~ Dr. Seuss

I’m continuing on yesterday’s topics of children, memories and mindfulness. Today is a day of celebration and I am blogging from New Mexico. Rather than spend time writing, I’ve taken the easy way out by posting some old photographs from of my memory box.

Twenty-seven (27!!!! ) years ago today, my husband and I received the most precious gift of all – our beloved son was born. Nineteen eighty-eight is a fun year to remember. But it was not a year just to BE! There were three sets of very busy parents in our family. Our son is pictured below at age three, with a two of his cousins who were all  born in 1988, within 10 months of each other.

What I want to know is how can that BE? How could 27 yrs have gone by me so quickly?

cousins and bday party

Happy Birthday, Marc!

“You are my sonshine.”  ~Author Unknown

This blog is brought to you by the author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and Short Stories: Lessons of Heart & Soul.