Category Archives: relationships

Story Woven with Nostalgic Images

2 Comments

Where were you during the Vietnam Era?

I just read the newly-released book Cottonwood; a satisfying read on many levels. Author Tom Dawson effectively crafts a story of two men who served together during one of our country’s most painful periods, the Vietnam era. The ties that bind them are their war experiences; they become life long buddies.

The author intertwines the culture of the ‘Nam era” into the storyline, which filled me with nostalgic images of my own, as a person whose adolescence came during the late nineteen sixties and seventies.  I could also relate, on a certain level, to some of the frustrations and attitudes that the main characters, Tom and Sam, carry about today’s technological era.

As a woman, I appreciated how through good dialogue, the author showed that the two comrades, Tom and Sam, communicate differently. The  truthfulness with which Dawson writes about the issue of men and aging was refreshing and honest. It is a story I didn’t anticipate liking but I really look forward to reading more from this author.

Dawson’s book is available through Amazon in soft cover and also as an e-book edition. To order this publication, please follow this link.Cottonwood

To read more about Tom Dawson, the author and war correspondent, follow this link. http://bit.ly/Ng0Srt. Don’t miss out on his blog and comic art, he calls “Pieces” on his website.

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

Come Again? No, thanks.

Leave a comment

“Do not plant your dreams in the field of indecision, where nothing ever grows but the weeds of “what-if.” ~ www.dodinsky.com

The Reverend of my church celebrated his birthday on Sunday, the day before mine. He explained that last year he thought he was a year older than he really is, thus this year he gets to celebrate the same year all over again. His sermon was about considering whether he liked the idea of “do-overs” in life or not. 

As he spoke, I couldn’t help but reflect on how I felt about that matter since the next day was going to be my turn to add another year to my tally. There have been times in my life that have been difficult and I wouldn’t wish on them on anybody.  Yet, the most beautiful events have been so life affirming. All things considered, the hard times have made me appreciate, even more deeply, the good times. I wouldn’t do any of it all over again if I could. The challenges are what have made me the person I am today. Find out more through this link Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

How would you feel if you could do your life over? Would you, if you could? I’d like to hear your opinion of the life you have been given. 

After the church service, the congregation was invited to Fellowship Hall to have a piece of birthday cake. There were two choices – chocolate and vanilla. For some, the choices were too difficult, so some people had both flavors. I indulged and enjoyed a piece of cake but there were no big decisions on that matter. I  always, always choose vanilla over chocolate. 

Now wait a minute! Before you judge me and say, “How boring!”  read this article called The Scoop about Being Vanilla. http://bit.ly/SdQoxI. Positives come with making the same, plain choices and in the end isn’t it all about what bring personal fulfillment to each of us? That varies.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

In Terms of Personal Fulfillment

Leave a comment

Life is like art. You have to work hard to keep it simple and still have meaning.~ Charles de Lin

I’ve always been a person who has lived relatively simply. Four years ago when I moved to this community of Steamboat Springs Colorado, I came to the area nearly devoid of all of my possessions. My accummulations  of  a thirty year marriage have been locked up and stored, and I came with little more than clothes in a suitcase and some business items.

My grandmother’s antique dining room set, my mother and father-in-law’s beautiful desk, my mother’s china, even our wedding album of photographs were left behind. Not wanting to accummulate more, I have been very careful not to amass “stuff” while I have been here. Learning to live without attachments to material things helps a person to stop and consider what is really fundamental to their existance. I’ve learned what really matters,and less is really more. http://bit.ly/reHMkv.

Today, I want to take a survey. If given four choices, what would rank first in terms of your personal fulfillment. What would you most appreciate having if you had little? Pick  just one thing. Let’s see, in the end, where people place their values. Join in by responding.

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

Marketplace Competition: Mind the Gap

Leave a comment

“One thing I know about change is we are not going to close the achievement gap without educators.” ~ Margaret Spellings
Watching the Olympics last week made me consider how blogging is like an athletic competition. Social media accomplishes many of the same goals as training for a sport does. Blogging provides a platform for: 

  • Improving skills (in writing)
  • Drawing the attention of competitors.
  • Providing entertainment value for an audience
  • Strengthening position in a field of expertise. 

As with sports workouts, blogging with discipline and regular practice brings positive results.If you mind the gap between well-frequented blog sites and sites with few visitors, my advice is to get in the game wholeheartedly and become serious about your social media useage. Step up your goals and set the bar higher by becoming more rigorous in your blog posting efforts. 

Fulfilling feelings will follow when you work toward the challenge you have set for yourself and take pride in your achievements. Blogging becomes a fun  way to market  products and services.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Telling Stories about Community

Leave a comment

In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it. ~ Marianne Williamson

Have you ever noticed that every community has its own unique “characters?” You know, people who are known to everyone in town, in all social circles. North, south, east or west, all neighborhoods have their own quirky people.

Author Sandy St. Clair offers a panoramic overview of the culture and climate in “Ski Town U.S.A.” in her new novel “Living with Miss Scarlett.” A real mountain resort town that she writes about, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is where locals describe their community as a place “where the odds are good but the goods are odd.”  Click here for info & ordering

This book is about two mismatched widowers whose lives converge in “the Boat” and leave you laughing and weeping at the spirit with which they rebuild life together in a town of diverse people. Many women will relate to the plight of the two main “characters,” Sissy Rawles, a Dallas socialite and Ali McDaniel, an Iowa housewife.

Although the story is set in a tourist town in the Rocky Mountains, readers may feel as if they have met the characters before. Perhaps similar to a person who has drifted into their own life, has found they liked it and stayed put. Or akin to someone who has journeyed through on the pathway of life, managing to leave their mark on the hearts of hometown residents.

This delightful read, Living with Miss Scarlett, is available in e-book format through all major e-book retailers.

Sandy Eshbaugh St. Clair is also the author of The Cookbook for Non-Cooks published in 1984 by Workman Press.Click for info and ordering

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Blessings Rain Down

Leave a comment

“A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world. “ ~ Joseph Addison

I had a busy and fun-filled weekend. I feel the pressure to fit in all of the summertime  activities that bring me personal fulfillment before the arrival of cool weather in NW Colorado.

Yesterday, my husband and I went paddle boarding on Steamboat Lake in north Routt County. It was fun and much easier than I would have expected. The board was big, wide and easy to balance. As I paddled out to the center of the lake, I purposely propelled myself around in a circle to take in the 360 degree views of the 10,000 ft. mountain peak surroundings. A small colony of artists have settled in the area of Hahn’s Peak, where the landscape is indeed inspiring, in its natural beauty. In a recent article, the Steamboat Pilot interviewed some of the artists living in the area and they spoke of what the area brings to their art. http://bit.ly/TwfrM0. 

Saturday evening, my husband and I went to a B a B y Q – a rancher’s version of a baby shower. I am so happy for the parents-to-be who are in for the gift of a lifetime in about four weeks. Parenting will change their lives in more ways than I could ever tell them.

Babies and the blessing of rain that has come, toward the end of summer, were topics  of conversation throughout the evening. As we looked out over the 200+ acres of the ranch landowner’s property, it was good to see that they are haying. Pastures, all summer, have suffered the effects of drought conditions – not good for the agricultural industry.

On Friday evening, I ushered at my last Strings Musical Festival assignment for the season. The 25th Anniversary year is almost behind us. Johnny Clegg, a musician from South Africa was terrific. The music his band played was different and multi-cultural, as was the commentary between each number. This Grammy-award nominee has spoken out against apartheid, and he considers himself a cultural ambassador which has earned him honorary degrees from Dartmouth, CUNY and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. To read more about his accomplishments, and his music, Click here

The seasons of our lives and the seasons throughout the year come with their own pleasures. An extended fall for me would be most welcomed. I find all kinds of fulfilling things in the harvest season.

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

Adding Color to Life and Movies

Leave a comment

 Psst……I am going to let you in on a secret, I have very limited understanding of what my son does in his career. The other night, I talked to him after almost two months of silence (except for an e-mail of one or two sentences) because he has been so busy. That’s a good thing – I’m not complaining. It means he is finding fulfilling things in what he is doing and that makes me happy. 

For many adults in my generation, being “in communicado”  may seem a little odd. According to an article I just read, my generation is filled with hovering parents of adult children who find it difficult to let go and let their kids live their own lives. http://bit.ly/7y1k85.  Don’t think I can be accused of that since we don’t speak once a day, once a week and occassionally not even once a month. I am not an errant parent, just letting my adult child spread his wings and grow in his career and life. It does not mean that we don’t have a close relationship. As they say, “Children hold their mothers hands for a short time, and their hearts forever.”  Or is it ” Mothers hold their childrens hands for a short time and their hearts forever?”

 I do have fulfilling feelings as a parent, however,when my husband and I are the first people our son calls when he is excited about something, has concerns, some information to share or he just wants to talk.

Curious what our conversation was about the other night? It is full of promise. With my son’s permission, I am going to share it. Here is a link that will let you in on our secret. For his sake,  I hope this film project comes to fruition.  http://www.indiegogo.com/ThoseWhoWait. 

What is the part he plays in this production? He is a visual effects artist, specifically a colorist. Not sure what that is? Neither was I, I had to look into it . http://bit.ly/KHabA. 

Now, I have a better idea of what to talk about next time he calls. I already knew he is involved with bright people, inspiring landscapes and scenery, vivid imaginations and a range of creative ideas. The life of an artist and  elements for good filmmaking. http://brewingdigital.com/.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Novelists Benefit from Movies

Leave a comment

I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.  ~ Walt Disney

On this Film Friday, we will share an article for the benefit of novelists. Going to the movies and watching TV has added value other than just entertainment- it can help with story writing.

If writers are attentive when watching movies and TV, there are numerous tips that can be picked up. Learn about how to draw an audience into the story from the off-set, the importance of having “meat in the story” and then how to bring the story to a fulfilling conclusion. 

From the context of the dialog in the movie, characters and their development, as well as ideas for creating mood with words can be learned . Thinking about how much detail or how too little detail grabs us or loses us, as an audience is helpful, too. 

Learn something about pacing of a story. What is important to moving a story forward? How essential is the timing of significant peaks and valleys in the narrative for the audience? 

This article  more fully describes the benefits for novelists of watching movies . http://bit.ly/KcckW7. 

 I am eagerly anticipating the release of The Odd Life of Timothy Green. It is a film that I think will demonstrate some of what this article talks about. http://bit.ly/KlSrK9. Disney has a way of drawing people of all ages into their creative story telling for good reason.  Happy Film Friday, everybody!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

What is Your Focus?

6 Comments

“Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learnt. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.” –- Edward de Bono, creativity writer

Back in February, as author of  All Things Fulfilling, I was featured on Ann Kochenberger’s “Out of Focus Again” website.  http://bit.ly/IpusLy.

Ann said this about my blog site “Her articles vary in subject matter so you never know what each day will bring.” I like that! She got it right. My primary focus is all things independent publishing. But art and inspiration tops the list, too. In fact, sometimes those subjects consume me. When you consider it, all are linked in with  creativity – independent words, views and thought.

Many published authors shy away blogging and from social media marketing, in my opinion, a big mistake! Fewer and fewer companies and individuals are using direct mail and print advertising to promote their products and services to potential buyers.  E- Marketing provides opportunity for reaching large communities of people who are interested in the same thing you are – your product or service. Isn’t  that the objective,  if you want to sell your independent publications?

What many independent publishers do not realize is that blogging and social media marketing is fun – an opportunity to use your creativity. Although it may seem like  there is an “out of focus again” variety of subjects that are on this website, believe me when I tell you, there is a method behind my madness. In fact, I am astonished at the number of followers from all over the world that have an interest in All Things Fulfilling. Thank you readers, for that!

So, I will continue to share my passion for independent publishing, art and inspiration. Sometimes in my blogging,  I even manage to surprise myself. When that happens, I really feel as if I have hit the marc!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Take Charge in 2012

2 Comments

Have you  made your New Year’s Resolution yet? I have and it was easy, too.

I’ll write it and it will consist of eight words. 

“IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR!”  

Now, it is up to me to begin fulfilling it!  I’ve got to get on with it. Time’s a wastin’!

 Cheers!  All the Best in 2012!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.