Wishing You a
Merry Christmas
and Blessings for
A New Year Full of Joy
From All Things Fulfilling!
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Category Archives: Books
Settling In Amid Peaks and Valleys
1 CommentLast week I promised that I would share my impressions of moving from the northeastern part of the U.S. to the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I came site unseen since my husband relocated several months prior to my coming.
My original poem begins on the East Coast – and this segment picks up as my husband, son and I drove into Steamboat in a fierce snowstorm the day after Thanksgiving, five years ago.
(The form is a little different due to digital formatting challenges) but never-the-less every word is as I wrote it).
Settling In ~ by Sue Batton Leonard
Relocating, arriving like dandruff on shoulders,
a sprinkling of sugar, dusting about
dancing, leaving polka dots on
peaks and in deep valleys,
marking the panorama, a white capped day
ill-timed to some, peaceful, sparkling to others
trailing like ribbons of baby’s bonnet
freed from summer heat, a white capped day
insulating earth from hoarfrost of winter
playground for skiers, aggravation for vehicles
skidding and sliding, driving the
business of living
steep and deep canyons, icing tiered
high, champagne to play in, romantic visions,
a Christmas rose, welcome alpine
guests of a white capped day
effervescent spirits, chilling exteriors
covered, absolute abundance
paralysis, blocked highways and byways
igloo walls till spring thaw
children naively playing, blizzard conditions
pompoms on powder puffs, feathery scarves,
woodstove fed and red-hot fired,
melting spikes of a white capped day
sit and snuggle, aside a blazing fire
top the chocolate with whipped cream. A cherry.
till next fall, remember, a white capped day ~
Wishing You and Yours a Happy Holiday Season! Do return tomorrow to
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Literary Benevolence
Leave a commentMore than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.~ Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) Comedic Actor, Filmmaker, Writer
Happy Thoughtful Thursday. Today I am thinking about seasonal opportunities for sharing literacy. If you are a library patron or a book lover, these ideas might appeal to you – acts that you can do for others that will mean a lot.
- Write a literary letter from a beloved literary character about the true meaning of Christmas.
- Leave post-it notes in random places with uplifting quotes from inspirational writers.
- Pay off someone’s late fees at the library
- Drop-off free, pass along books on buses, at a table in a restaurant, on a park bench, in a senior citizen center.
- Pick-up an extra newspaper at the newsstand and give it to the person behind you in line.
- Arrange a book swap in a public place and invite anyone walking by to join in, even if they come empty handed. Make sure you have a good supply of pass-alongs.
- Put a pass-along book in someone’s mailbox, gift wrapped. What a nice surprise!
- Create a gift for a loved one – a Shutterfly book of memories. www.shutterfly.com
- Check out an extra book from the library and take it to a shut-in.
- Set up a Book Angels program in your community to give new or gently used children books at Christmas time.
Photo: Book Angels from www.deviantart.com
These random acts of literary kindness can be given at anytime of the year but will especially be appreciated during the holidays.
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Putting Faith in a Move
Leave a commentYou block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.” ~- Mary Manin Morrissey
This winter marks my fifth year in Steamboat Springs, CO. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. I like the positive energy of the people – they seem to live with purpose and intention rather than just going through the motions. Healthy mind, body and spirit is the focus in this place of awesome beauty. Besides recreation, the arts and entrepreneurship reign supreme. The people are so friendly and there is always something to do in this community. The wonderful library is a hub of activity. I’ve gotten quite involved all around.
Friends and family ask me all the time “Do you think you will live there the rest of your life?” Since I can’t answer that, I’ve decided I’ll live with the attitude that my mother-in-law used to have. She always said “you live till you die.” Alrighty, then! So I’ll say “I am here till I go somewhere else.” By the way, my mother-law fulfilled her promise by living to the ripe age of 92.
Next Monday on All Things Fulfilling I am going to share a piece of writing from a creative writing class I took last winter. It’s about first impressions – arriving in this town of Steamboat Springs the day after Thanksgiving, five years ago, sight unseen. People ask me all the time – “How did you do that? Move to a place you had never seen before?” My reply….”I just put faith in the fact that I would like it.” And so it happened, just like that!
Here is a great article called Living with Faith and Making a Great Landing. http://bit.ly/18wEp9O.
Do you have a story you could share about taking a leap of faith? Start writing!
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Virtuous Names
Leave a commentChristmas is the keeping-place for memories of our innocence.–Joan Mills
I’ve often wondered whether a women who bears a name like Hope, Grace, Faith, Charity or Patience are generally more highly-principled than someone who bears a name like Cruella de Ville, Brandy Alexander or Fannie Hill? Do people feel pressured to live up to the virtues of their names?
Likewise, if you live in a town that sounds lovely and festive, is life a little different? Are crime rates lower in cities and towns in nice sounding places? After all, people may feel the pressure to live with Christmas spirit or good intentions year-round.
What do you think? Is there is a higher quality of life living in places like these:
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Angels Camp, CA 95222
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Bethlehem, PA18016
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Blessing, TX 77419
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Christmas, FL 32709
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Faith, NC 28041
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Hope, NM 88250
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Joy, IL 61260
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Nazareth, KY 40048
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Noel, MO 64854
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Saint Joseph, IL 61873
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Saint Mary, KY 40063
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Santa Claus, IN 47579
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Shepherd, MI 48883
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Snow, OK 74567
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Star, ID 83669
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Wiseman, AR 72587
I ponder if these places are any closer to paradise than any other cities? If we could peek into the lives of the ordinary citizens in these communities, do you think life would be any more fulfilling than other places on the map?
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Ringing and Singing
2 CommentsSing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause that’s all that matter in the end.” ~ Kris Kristofferson
I stepped into a local shop a few days after Thanksgiving and holiday tunes rang out. It stirred up memories of my childhood going from house to house Christmas caroling. People rarely carol anymore. According to an article in Time Magazine, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, Bob Thompson says caroling has seen a decline since the 1960s. http://ti.me/1bEe9IG
Hearing Christmas songs in the stores always puts a bug in my ear that it is clearly time to get out the holiday CDs and enjoy them. I never tire of the same old tunes. I’m endlessly delighted by the melodies. The Yule season passes all too quickly, and then it is time to put the Christmas CDs away until next year.
Today I thought I’d see what’s being sold on the internet marketplace for new holiday releases.
Here are a few CD suggestions. I bet you can’t go wrong with selecting any one of them. Each one would make for a fulfilling holiday listening experience:
- Wrapped in Red – Kelly Clarkson
- A Mary Christmas – Mary J Blige
- Christmas Voices – Celtic Thunder
- Sending you a Little Christmas – Johnny Mathis
- Hope for All the World – Craig & Dean Phillips
- Angels Sing: Christmas in Ireland – Libera
- Christmas in my Heart – Gretchen Wilson
- Christmas Spirit – David Arkenstone
If you are at a loss for an affordable gift-giving idea, a Christmas music is always greatly appreciated and it will be enjoyed for many years. CD’s are great stocking stuffers, too!
“It Came Upon Midnight Clear, that glorious song of old…..”
What’s Inside Counts
1 CommentGod’s gifts put mans best dreams to shame ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Happy Thoughtful Thursday! I am going to keep this blog short and sweet. Check out the touching short Christmas story I’m posting through a link. It’s only a few brief paragraphs and worth reading. I promise it will make you think twice about the spirit of Christmas and the gifts you put in a box.
The story is called The Gold Wrapping Paper. http://bit.ly/18xB44Q.
May other thoughtful, meaningful stories bless your life during this holy season!
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Simply Nutty Holidays
1 CommentIts a gift to be simple, Its a gift to be free,
Its the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
Will be in the valley of love and delight. ~ Elder Joseph
Does anyone roast chestnuts anymore? My Dad used to roast chestnuts for us kids over an open fire every year in our big stone fireplace. That’s just one fulfilling nostalgic Christmas memory from my childhood. I am sure he thought it didn’t mean a thing to us, but I remember it vividly – the earthy, nutty flavor sprinkled with just a tad of salt. I liked sitting fireside, watching the flames flick and flicker as he tossed the nuts around in the pan to keep them from burning. I haven’t had roasted chestnuts since.
A few years ago, I saw chestnuts in the store during the Xmas holidays, and I got all excited. I bought some and brought them home, I thinking I’d give it a go by roasting them in the oven. http://www.wikihow.com/Roast-Chestnuts. They were such a disappointment. The nuts, I realized, once I got them home were old, dried and shriveled up even before I popped them in the oven. Into the trash they went. “So much for that,” I thought.
Isn’t it strange how small memories from childhood stick with us? Christmas doesn’t always have to be about extravagant giving. I’m sure you’ve heard it before. “It’s the thought that counts.” Put extra time into other kinds of gift giving such as creating unique, memorable gift wrapping, setting a beautiful table, cooking food that you delight in having only occasionally. Rather than insanely rushing around trying to do too much, spend sacred time with your friends or family. It will mean so much. It’s difficult to enjoy the Christmas season, that comes just once a year, if life is too harried.
~Simplify~
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Timeless Message and Gifts Within
Leave a comment“The horse is an archetypal symbol which will always find ways to stir up deep and moving ancestral memories in every human being.” ~ Paul Mellon
In a time when it seems like many in our culture want to do away with nativity scenes and other signs of the Christmas season, author JL Hardesty has found an extraordinary way to tell the story of the holiday that means so much to so many people. Her book, The Lost Legend of the First Christmas, appropriate for middle school to adult readers, uses a beautiful creature that God created, the horse, along with memorable characters, as messengers of lessons to human beings to tell the tale. The cadence and rhythm of the writing is effective in telling a story in a voice that will long be remembered.
If it is important to you that your loved ones know the true meaning of the holiday, The Lost Legend of the First Christmas is an ideal gift that shares insights of Christianity – having faith and hope in our hearts, and God’s promise to people everywhere.
Come to know the important relationship of the horse to people by reading JL Hardesty’s book. Horse enthusiasts will love all of JL Hardesty’s publications.The author has spent her entire life in the company of horses, loving them and ceaselessly learning about them. Through her writing, Hardesty shares her knowledge of and adoration for these noble creatures with passion and clarity.
This timeless story is available through Amazon. http://amzn.to/1cYyYO8. What a great read The Lost Legend of the First Christmas will make as a gift to children who love horses. Put one under the Christmas tree this year for the entire family to enjoy together.
Photo: Maggie, a member of the University of Vermont (UVM) equestrian team and student of equine medicine says “Every young equestrian should read The Lost Legend of the First Christmas. She wants to recommend it to her friends.”
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Right, No Matter What
Leave a comment“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you‘re right.” – Henry Ford
This adage is all about “mind over matter,” a motivational principle that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The phrase means” the mind is more powerful than the body,” according to Wikipedia.com.
The “mind over matter concept” was integrated into the storyline of a children’s book all the way back in 1930 when “The Little Engine That Could” was published by Platt and Monk. This tale is still popular today. In fact, as recently as 2007, an on-line poll rated the book as one of the Teachers Top 100 Books by the National Education Association.
In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned the recent speech I gave about Helicopter Parenting. Within the context of the speech I cite the fact that if parents do everything for their children, kids start to doubt themselves and lose confidence in their abilities. They begin think they can’t or may not be able to handle a task. Here is a relevant article about the power of the mind and how to use it as a great tool. http://bit.ly/IllFOz.
In my speech I related some of my own experiences in life. To this day, I count myself as a very fortunate child because my parents didn’t let me know that I may face an uphill battle when trying to accomplish certain goals. They expected me to be able to keep up with everyone else. Guess what – it usually worked!
Thanks, Dad and Mom! Now that I am “big,” an adult, that is, I can I admit you were right!
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