Category Archives: Gifts

Portraits of America

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“Agriculture, manufactures, commerce and navigation, the four pillars of our prosperity, are the most thriving when left most free to individual enterprise.”  –Thomas Jefferson: 1st Annual Message, 1801.

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In the National Portrait Gallery images of prominent people of widespread importance are featured throughout the museum.The portraits are stunning but,I was particularly drawn to an exhibit called Experience America. The paintings typify the U.S.A.  in earlier times and feature common folk both hard at work and play, building our country into what it is today.

Also portrayed in these images are good old-fashioned American values of family, faith and community. The paintings are representative of our nation’s population of people throughout history who have toiled to make us a country of free enterprise and industry.

 

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In the Experience America collection, a few of Edward Hopper’s paintings are included. He was both an oil painter and watercolorist (circa 1882 – 1967) whose urban and rural scenes are ”spare and finely calculated renderings reflected his personal vision of modern American life.”

 IMG_20141005_133826_381Above: Edward Hopper painting

Below Edward Hopper’s “Cape Cod Morning”

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IMG_20141005_135508_101This plaque hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. To me it is a shining reminder to protect what we so dearly cherish about our country – freedom and independence!

That’s all today from All Things Fulfilling.  See you tomorrow!

This blog brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on the independently published book Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please visit this link.

http://amzn.to/1vDFUMt

Home Grown Success

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“Since new developments are products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible.” ~ George Washington Carver

All the focus today will be on someone that I ran into two weeks ago in the halls of the National Portrait Gallery. I looked across the room at one of the paintings and thought “Who is that fella?” With my gardening interests, of course, I was drawn into this picture.

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It’s George Washington Carver! A person in history that I knew very little about. Over the past few days I’ve learned more about this man of great importance whose picture hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. As it turns out, there are many words of wisdom that this man born into slavery shared through the course of his lifetime – inspiring, indeed!

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untitledGeorge Washington Carver (1864- 1943) was a man of many interests – an American scientist, inventor, botanist and educator. He certainly had much worthwhile to say about creativity, innovation and success from his humble beginnings to his rise as a person of great national recognition, known as the “plant doctor.”

There are many books about the man whose fame grew throughout his lifetime from an orphan son of slaves to a world famous peanut farmer. George Washington Carver: An Innovative Life  by Elizabeth Macleod follows his contributions to our society through his breakthrough in agricultural research. His words of inspiration are many, and should not be forgotten.

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George Washington Carver 2

That’s all for today from award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard. I’m happily living an innovative life in this new world of e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. For information on my EVVY award-winning memoir “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” please visit this link http://amzn.to/1xTvPwQ. For a special treat, listen to the audio book because the “treasure is in the voice!”

It won a 2nd place award for audio books from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association! And it is a finalist in two categories in the 2014 Harvest Book Competition.http://bit.ly/1vbWwfb.

Art of the Past

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“Every thought you produce, anything you say, anything you do, it bears your signature.” ~  Thich Nhat Hnah

There is a wonderful exhibit that I recently encountered when browsing the National Archives Museum website called Making the Mark: Stories through Signatures. The exhibition relates to Friday’s blog on All Things Fulfilling which was about how we come to know certain people through their recognizable handwriting.

It got me to thinking about computers, and digital publishing, and how my generation, the baby boomers, may be the last population of people who will come to know people by their handwriting. Handwritten notes are very nearly a thing of the past, as are letters posted through the Post Office. E-mail (electronic mail) has replaced good old fashioned correspondence written with pen and paper.

As I mentioned in the post called Handwritten Memories getting a  letter, note or card that is not computer generated has become something special!

If you are a visitor to Washington, DC don’t forget to stop in the National Archives Museum and see the exhibit that is all about notables from history who are known by their “John Hancocks.” http://www.archives.gov/museum/visit/gallery.html.

Thank goodness information about some of the most famous people from history and their signatures of all are saved in the National Archives because the art of the handwritten note is quickly disappearing and being replaced by digital signatures, even on legal documents.

DSCN2777Signing a book for Miz Miller’s daughter, Judy, a lifetime friend. We are at Ukazoo Books http://www.ukazoo.com.   Judy’s parent’s made an indeliable mark on my son’s life and his love for storytelling. http://marcrleonard.com. At Christmastime they gave Marc the most special books from the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester VT. http://www.Northshire.com . We have saved everyone of them so that he can read them to his children if he is blessed enough to have them!

Below: Miz Miller (left) and childhood neighbor Marge with my brother Scott

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This blog brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her award-winning memoir,Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected please visit this link.http://amzn.to/1uqmsyo.

 

A Caring, Comedic Character

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Through humor you can soften some of the worst blows that life can deliver. And once you find the laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it. ~ Bill Cosby

“The treasure is in the voice,” the author says of her EVVY award-winning audio book version of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Some readers argue that “the real gold is in Fanny’s character.”  Either way, the Batton family benefited from the love and friendship of a woman who kept things in the right perspective. Fanny was a real winner!

Last weekend at a book signing in Towson, Maryland, award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard’s home town, something wonderful happened – a group of Fanny fans gathered round! Some knew Fanny in real life and others met her through reading the award-winning memoir.

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Fanny’s Fan Club

If you want to learn more about the “phenom Fanny,” Ukazoo has Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfillling Things in the Unexpected in stock! http://www.ukazoo.com. It is also available through other major on-line book sellers in audio book, paperback and e-book.

Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected has become a finalist in another book competition, in two categories – young adult and non-fiction. To read more about the 2014 Harvest Book Competition, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/ZWqMxV and to see the list of other finalists and the titles of their books, please visit this list. http://bit.ly/1vbWwfb.

 

Nature’s Spectrums

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I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver

God sure swished one big paintbrush filled with a spectrum of colors when he waved it over the plant life put on this earth. Walking inside and outside the National Botanic Gardens I was awestruck by the range of botanical treasures which come from our land and places across the globe.

Enjoy this journey through visual images that I captured with my camera when I visited The National Botanic Garden’s last weekend. Some of these plants seem like “freaks of nature,” they are such exquisite masterpieces.

Nature has all kinds of gifts to share with people all over the Universe. Take every opportunity you can to be outdoors to enjoy it. It is good for the heart and soul.

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Goodbye for now from me and my gal pal, my twin sister, from the National Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC.

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IMG_20141007_093258_933This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on her book

Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected available in audio, paperback and e-book,  please visit this link.http://amzn.to/1xTvPwQ

Connections to First Chapter

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“In the first chapter of Genesis it is written that God placed mankind in the Garden of Eden. God knew from the very beginning that this perfect environment would be the key source for mankind’s healing and health.” ~ Dr. David Stewart author of Healing: God’s Forgotten Gift http://bit.ly/1rTR4LR.

An hour or two  in the National Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC is enough to uplift anyone’s spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing horticultural wonders from all over the world inside and outside this beautiful structure last weekend.

Many of the plants I saw have healing properties that have been known for centuries. Others are yet to be discovered. http://www.deborahkingcenter.com/blog/2014/02/25/the-healing-powers-of-plants/

For instance, digitalis is a plant that for centuries has been used for heart ailments. However, today it is synthetically produced for many reasons. One is the ease of regulation of dosage. http://science.jrank.org/pages/2088/Digitalis.html.

Why has our world relied on so many synthetically produced drugs when much of what we need to heal is already at our dispose? I must ask. Some medicinal plants are not indigenous to areas where large populations of people roam. So, I suppose harvesting them to use in the healing arts industry may be too costly.

I ponder that in other cases a choice between harvesting beautiful plants  for pharmaceuticals and risking that they will become endangered, and no longer available for visual enjoyment and soulful pleasures may be a consideration.

Today I’d like to share some images from the medicinal horticultural section of the National Botanical Gardens. Additional photos will be shared over the next few weeks of flowers from a spectrum of colors, as well as some wonderful architecture and art from our National Portrait Gallery.

Stay tuned to this site – I have all kinds of more fulfilling things to share with you of things I discovered in Washington, DC over the weekend.

This blog brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her memoir, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, please visit this link. http://amzn.to/1xTvPwQ

What a gorgeous building and grounds at the National Botanical Gardens

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Plenty inside the National Botanical Gardens to keep this avid gardener interested and uplifted!

Below: Aromatherapy – pots of spices from around the world – I indulged myself frequently at the “smelling pots”

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To read an article on the manufacturing of digitalis, a drug that so many heart patients rely on visit this link.http://science.jrank.org/pages/2088/Digitalis.html.

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Water is a magical substance. The health of all life is irrevocably connected with water. Find yourself around it, immerse yourself in it, and drink it with gratitude. ~ Unknown

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For a great resource about healing plants, please visit this site http://m.steamboattoday.com/news/2014/sep/14/local-herbalist-releases-first-ebook-series/

All Photos were taken by Sue Batton Leonard inside the National Botanic Gardens. Please read copyright statement on this site on the right hand side of the page.

Squeezing In Reading Time

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“Eyes see only light, ears hear only sound, but a listening heart perceives meaning.”  David Steindl-Rast, A Listening Heart

We live in a busy world. I often hear people say “I never get to read anymore.” Enter audio books! They are geared for multi-tasking.  A term our society has gotten all too familiar with.

Audio books are the perfect solution for people who like to use their time to their best advantage. And they bring a whole new dimension to reading. After all, says author Sue Batton Leonard about her award-winning audio book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, “the treasure is in the voice.”

According to this article there are health benefits to reading books, and that is a good thing! http://huff.to/1gbsyAD. Although, listening to audio books is a different kind of reading experience,according to  an article in Forbes,  37% of the population listens to audio books.http://onforb.es/1rGVLH8.

Audible.com has provided a way to publish audio books on many different digital platforms – computers, cellphones, i-pads. Pick your preference and pick the time that is best for you to listen in. Audio books are a gift to people who say  “I can’t find time to read.”

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earphones while travelingThis blog brought to you by the award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard. Her book Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected is available in audio, paperback and e-book and can be ordered through this link. http://amzn.to/1xTvPwQ

 

The Gift of Opportunity

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“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow

Boxes tied up with pretty ribbons and bows immediately come to mind when someone mentions presents.  However, one of the most valuable favors one can be given in life is the gift of opportunity.

Ukazoo BooksThis Saturday, on October 11th, I will be given an appreciated gift of opportunity. A chance to share my award-winning memoir with book enthusiasts in my native place of residence – Towson, Maryland. A book signing and author presentation at Ukazoo Books in Dulaney Plaza from 1pm to 4pm is scheduled. Some people who will be coming to this public event I have not seen for decades.

At 2pm I’ll discuss my reasons for penning a memoir and how the independent publishing industry has paved the way for ordinary people to tell their extraordinary stories and publish them.

I look forward to the event. I hope you, the readers of All Things Fulfilling will help me broadcast the good news that the author talk is taking place. It will provide an opportunity for others to learn something about why storytelling is so important and why people should share stories through independent publishing.

Pass the word and hope to see you at Ukazoo Books on October 11th!

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

Garbage Disposals, Houdini and Bulldozers

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“…goats is just like a bulldozer.” ~ Christine Genevier

goats on picnic tables 2Goats! What is it about their need to be atop sheds, dog houses, tables, cars, and everything else they are not supposed to be on? I don’t quite get it.

And talk about garbage disposals! We never had garbage disposals in any of  the kitchens of our three childhood homes even though my Dad’s company built custom homes with fancy features. We didn’t need them!

Our infamous goat, Hanratty, ate everything and anything in sight. Tin cans, fishing gear, toys, all the other animal’s food in our menagerie, whole turkey carcasses and more, in what seemed like one fell swoop! Everything went through that animal’s intestines including plastics but, the animal never needed a vets attention.

Every time you turned around, he was out of the pen and into something. Didn’t matter that we had just secured the pen, he found his way out.

If you are a baby boomer, you’ll remember the TV star in this minute or two video clip and you’ll know this catchy tune. Come on, sing along!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dny_JDlwGFM

This weeks blogs may be rather varied, without any particular theme. I’ll been using my stream of consciousness literary style once again. Wondering what that is? Here is a link to an article that you might find interesting if you are trying to find your own literary style.http://bit.ly/1nO4Bz2. Although I may be jumping from subject to subject most of this weeks blogs will be coming from childhood memories that keep cropping up. I’ll see what else I can dig up that you’ll enjoy from the days of what many describe as the “golden era.”

This blog brought to you by author Sue Batton Leonard. For more information on the award-winning book  Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, visit this link http://amzn.to/1rNoUTm.  The book is available in audio, paperback and e-book for your reading pleasure!

 

 

Fire is Lit, Ribbon in the Hair

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To My Dear Husband ~~~~

I am sorry that according to this 1955 article, I have failed you miserably. I have not always lived up to the Girl Scout creed of  “I promise to do my duty…..” and to The Good Wife Guide…..

The Good Wife

…I mean, sometimes, I let you cook breakfast. You changed dirty diapers, and too many times I told you about my day first. Then there is the matter of the fire, I didn’t always make it happen….well, I apologize.

And then there is the issue of our son. Ok, I’ll admit it. He often greeted you with a dirty face and hands. And his hair…what can I say…let’s just hope it never happens again now that he is an adult. I’m sure it won’t, after all he is a visual effects artist.  I’ll speak with him later about that matter. At least he is playing  the part well of the treasure that he is. That should make you feel better. It does, doesn’t it?

I’ll  see what I can do to mend my ways and not be such a modern day woman.  We are 34 years into this union. I hope you can forgive me if I start taking your shoes off. I know, I ruined many an evening when I didn’t have you   “lean back and relax in your chair…..” Well, I pledge from now on to remember…I’ll say it. I promise. No… really, I will. Yes, I am serious. Truly… I’m not kidding.

I hope you’ll agree to continue on this journey through life that we started. Happy Anniversary!

Much Love, hon ~ Sue

P.S. And by the way, the last item on the list – don’t worry! I do know my place. I belong beside you with a ribbon in my hair.

This blog brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard and her award-winning publication “Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” http://amzn.to/1ulyFYs.