Category Archives: Learning

Earning Wisdom: Experience

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One of the many life lessons that I have learned throughout the independent publishing process is how things don’t always proceed as expected. That’s when frustration, disappointment and self-doubt sets in.

I’ve had a sign hanging on the wall, given to me by a friend from Macedonia, since the start of my memoir writing project that says “anything is possible if you believe.” Sue’s memoir Throughout the publishing of my book I have earned wisdom through experience and proven to myself  there are not false promises in this adage. These simple words have provided me with the motivation to press on, move ahead and keep the faith every time I came to a block along the path toward reaching fulfillment of my goals. “There are no problems, only solutions” says one of my most trusted advisors named Kristen. I’ve learned she’s right on the mark.

every comes perfect timeHave you ever noticed how often things come to us at the right time? It maybe  a life event, circumstance or a person who seems to be heaven sent. This is essentially what my book is about.

I never thought very deeply about this concept but in recent years it  has become my motto. Keeping these sage words at the forefront of my mind has eliminated many moments that would otherwise have provided me with angst.

Admittedly, sometimes I forget the adage because impatience has a great nagging presence. Although there is truth behind the divine timing concept it does not let us off the hook from being active participants in working toward our dreams and goals.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. It is hard to believe May Day is right around the corner. I’ve got lots to look forward to next month. More about that later.

 

 

More than a Coincidence?

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curiousImagine this. Here it is in a nutshell:

Twins separated by birth, find each other at 39 years old only to discover they have lived mirrored lives.

Jim and Jim have a fascinating story to tell. Although separated at birth, each of their adoptive parents gave them the same first name – Jim. Each had two marriages with wives named Linda and then on the second go-round, Betty. Toy was the name of each of their dogs from childhood, and they each had one son James Allen and James Alan.

Their careers paralleled each other – deputy sheriffs, both! They drove the same cars, drank the same brand beer and are smokers of the same cigarettes. Even though, remember, they were  out of touch for 39 years.

Twin telepathy? It’s a curious thing. What else could it be for these two brothers? How can you call that many commonalities just a coincidence?

Interested to read more true stories about twins? Here is a link. http://bit.ly/1iiBcdU.

Stories like these make people want to read more about twin dynamics.

This blog brought to you by the author of “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.” A story of multi-cultural love, faith, healing, life lessons and above all things – twins!

 

Histrionics of Twins

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Life is like a moustache. It can be wonderful or terrible. But it always tickles. ~ Nora Roberts, From the Heart

Pet white mice!  “They’re so cute,” we’d say to our parents. “We want one to play with.” My sister and I nagged at our parents to let us have a domesticated mouse until finally they gave in. Did anyone else have one or more of those creatures as a kid?

Ohhh- now, that pet brings back memories to yours truly and her sister. We kept our mouse in a glass aquarium with a screen over it for a cover so it wouldn’t escape. However intruders were more the problem. More than once we were awoken in the middle of the night by loud squealing. A wild mouse that came from somewhere within our house had found it’s way into the cage. When we turned on the bedroom light to investigate all the noise, we caught the mice in action mating. You’ve never seen two little, screaming naive twins scamper into their parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night so quickly! We jumped on mom and dad’s bed with wide-eyes to apprise our parents of the situation!

Three weeks later, an unexpected development! We learned more about the facts of life, when we awoke to little, translucent pink  bodies squirming in the clear glass cage.

photo of white mouse withbackpackWho knows where the newborn babies went when they disappeared the next day. As a young child, I figured the cat clock hanging on the wall in our bedroom, that I mentioned in yesterday’s blog,  had come alive and eaten them up. After this happened twice, my parents sent the pet white mouse packing!

Would your parents have let you have a white mouse for a pet? I grew up in a bit of a crazy house. Domesticated white mice were only the start of the many animals that could be found inside and out on our family’s property – more about our zoo in my memoir.  Add a wonderful character named Fanny into the mix of the menagerie, and life was lived differently than many of our neighbors.

Oh….I can only image the stories my parents could tell about the histrionics of life with two twins.

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

 

Memoirs Connect People

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Kit Cat

“Each day provides it’s own gifts.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

I am very excited! Last week I reconnected with a childhood friend who I have been out of touch with since I graduated high school in 1975. That was many,many moons ago – do the math!

Out of the blue, she connected with me through my Facebook page and said “that she had learned I had published a book and had ordered “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” for her Nook. She had questions about a few details of our childhood in trying to recall exactly when we moved down the street to our second childhood home, built by my father. When I was an newborn we lived next door to her parents. She said, “I still remember the cat clock you had in your bedroom.” Hard to believe after all these years she’d remember, with clarity, a detail like that.

Did any of you readers have a cat clock like the one in the image?  It’s still available through the Vermont Country Store! http://bit.ly/1hVqDkQ.

Mine hung in my bedroom. It  was a gift from my maternal grandparents to my twin sister and me.  They both passed away when we were very young children, and the clock is a remaining memory that I associate with my mother’s parents. I remember laying in my bed mesmerized every night watching the cat’s glowing eyes go back and forth, along with it’s swishing tail  until I drifted off into laaa laaa land.

What I have since learned from my childhood friend, Cindy, is that her sons, Brian and Jason Lyles, are involved with a publishing endeavor also. They recently published The Lego Neighborhood Book: Build a Lego Town  which gives tools to create your favorite architectural styles in homes and buildings. How cool is that? http://bit.ly/1hd18dm 

If I hadn’t written a memoir, who knows if Cindy and I would have ever connected again throughout our lifetime! So today’s story is all about neighborhood and community connection! See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

 

 

Book Club Selection

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“Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.” ― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
Last summer I had the opportunity to join in with a Dorchester County Book Club as they discussed the book The Postmistress. I enjoyed being with this group of ladies immensely. Here is the blog that I wrote last summer about the experience. https://allthingsfulfilling.com/2013/06/26/book-clubs-buzz/

book clubI have been notified by this Maryland-based book club that my new publication “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” will be their group’s June selection and the subject of their discussion. How exciting is that! They’ve asked whether the author (yours, truly!) can be present.  Of course, I’ll do all I can to be there in person. But, if the logistics don’t work out, perhaps I can Skype in and have an “author chat,” like many libraries and bookstores arrange in this day and age.http://bit.ly/1gMOBNs.

This group of ladies, no doubt, will find the cultural and historical references  familiar. Many of them were living in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland and in the prime of their lives raising young children when the story takes place (1950’s- 1960’s). Their discussion of my memoir, is sure to be rich with opinions. And, I am sure, the book club members will have their own fulfilling memories to contribute to the discussion.

So, that’s the good news on this Easter Monday on All Things Fulfilling. We will see what transpires on that story. I will keep you posted.

Sojourns in Reaching a Dream

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After my book presentation on April 4 to the Yampa Valley University Women, Beverly, who is a group member and someone who was in the audience, came up to me and said “Sue, I get the feeling you have been on a real journey with this book.” “Have I ever,  Beverly, ” I replied smiling. I was thrilled that she understood the amount of work that went into it and how I was feeling, “There is no denying it,” I said.

Between writing about the publishing project throughout the process on this blog All Things Fulfilling and bringing the story alive on paper, it has been a real sojourn of sorts. It is as if I have been up in a hot air balloon looking down, and describing the publishing landscape has it has changed. I have soared as I have gone along for a ride with it.

The-Journey-Is-What-Brings-Us-Happiness-Not-The-DestinationI, like many others, was not aware when I started my memoir writing project how this would lead to enormous personal growth in so many ways that I had not anticipated. A lot of the development has come as a result of doing whatever it took to do it right, independently.

I’ve faced and recorded into words the  most poignant moments in my life, tackled my shyness about reading the manuscript out loud while having it critiqued by a whole bunch of professional writers. Then I faced the fact that I need to become someone who is comfortable with public speaking, if I really want to continue to achieve my dreams of traveling around and vocally sharing my retrospective thoughts.

I have had the great fortune of being in an environment that is very supportive of writers who helped me to achieve my mission. I would like to state my gratitude to anyone who has helped me along the way. You know who you are, and so do I. I consider each one of you as one of many “personal angels.”

My advice to anyone who is embarking on an independent publishing process – do whatever it takes to make it happen.  Don’t hold back, don’t limit yourself to what you are willing to do or not. In other words, remove all stops! And most of all seek out the help of others who can help you along the way.

What is the greatest lesson I have learned throughout the process? By maintaining faith, and being willing to open myself up to all possibilities, my dream has become a reality!

If you didn’t visit this site on Monday, it was very special day on All Things Fulfilling!  I revealed a chapter of the audio book version of  Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. It is posted permanently on About the Book Page for your listening enjoyment. Listen to it as many times as you wish so you can get a sense of the voice in the story.

Writing about the King

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“The Irish – Be they kings, or poets, or farmers… They keep company with the angels, And bring a bit of heaven here to earth”~ Unknown 

My uncle, my mother’s brother, was named Joseph King. But he was called King his entire life.  Joseph was his father’s name (my maternal Grandfather’s first name).  King was his mother’s maiden name (my maternal Grandmother). If you ever met my Uncle King, you would never, ever forget him. And you’ll have a chance to meet in him my memoir. He was a lively character who really celebrated life! I believe he felt an obligation to live up to a reputation of being a magnanimous character.

Palm SundayToday, as we approach Palm Sunday, it seems fitting to dedicate this blog to him. The reason will become apparent if you read my upcoming book. The lifeline on the palm of my hand would most likely be very short, had King not become one of my saviors in life. The “King” is  part of my upcoming memoir “Gift of a Lifetime.” I share this small bit of insight into my story, as a gift to you this Easter season. I’m going to remember my King, enjoy Palm Sunday and celebrate the fact that spring is just around the corner. Hallelujah.

On Monday, I will posting a sample audio chapter of  Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected on All Things Fulfilling. The audio chapter is  for your listening enjoyment and it’s about Easter. Do return and listen in – you might learn something about this holy week you had never known before.

Twin Abnormalities

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One of the most startling photos of my twin and me was taken when we were about 14 years old. It is included in my newly published memoir. The size difference between us is so dramatic that you have to see it to believe it. It’s almost laughable.

My sister and I are likely a case of Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) which is “a prenatal condition in which twins share unequal amounts of the placenta’s blood supply, resulting in the two fetuses growing at different rates.”

My parents never had official confirmation that their twins had that anamoly since ultrasound screenings and prenatal echocardiograms back in the 1950’s were non-existent. The tools had not yet been developed to diagnose such a condition.

According to the Fetal Care Institute in St. Louis, “the imbalance of blood flow starts to affect the the heart function in one or both babies.  This is seen in abnormal blood flow in the umbilical cords or hearts of the twins.” http://bit.ly/1dSHmEr. 

imperfection and delight

If you are a twin or know twins who are cases of twin-twin transfusion syndrome, my sister and I would be interested in hearing from you to learn whether you ever physically caught up to one another as adults. Please feel free to email me through this website and tell me your story.

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

 

Twin Bonding

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OMG its twins

Welcome to Twin Week on All Things Fulfilling. Even if you are not a twin, we hope you will enjoy learning something about multiple births that perhaps you never knew before. We will be sharing some fun stuff!

There is a website that has informative twin facts, that I hadn’t seen previously.  Did you know –

“Twins bond in the womb. By examining 3D ultrasound images, a study in Padova, Italy found that fetuses start deliberately interacting at 14 weeks.”

If you wish to read more interesting statistics about multiple births, please visit this link http://bit.ly/PkaMA5.

My mother gets tickled pink when she thinks back to when my sister and I were children and how we used to have our own “twin language.” Without a doubt, we did chatter away in our own little world, that no one dared enter when we were in the “zone.” And if you were to ask my mother, she’d say that even as adults when my my sister and I get together we still enter into the “private twin zone” and like many twins, we finish each others sentences. We communicate in ways that seems to exclude others – including our husbands. It is not intentional – it naturally happens.

Have you seen any of the popular You Tube videos with the two little toddler twins carrying on in their own language, enjoying each others’ company. Whatever it is they are jabbering on about, they are having a very fulfilling and meaningful experience. The video is so incredibly precious!  http://bit.ly/PkeiKX .

Check it out – it will be the best 55 seconds you have spent in a long time. It will begin your Monday morning with a smile.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

 

Etching the Psyche

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“…realize that there is only one ‘race,’ – the human race, and we are all members of it.” ~ Margaret Atwood

There have been so many monumental national and worldwide historical events that have occurred throughout my lifetime – man walking on the moon, the Equal Rights Amendment, Watergate, the tearing down of the China Wall, space shuttle Challenger exploding, The Persian War, the collapse of the Twin Towers, just to name a few. But, none of these events have been etched as deeply into my psyche as the Baltimore riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King.

Indeed, “the sixties” was a time of revolution including trends in clothing, music, education and social order in general. Drug experimentation and rebellions on college campuses was indicative of the turbulent times.

I remember when I was eleven I thought that the arrival of the Beatles in the United States was newsworthy of unmatched historical proportions. But by the time I turned fifteen, I had matured in my thinking and I grasped the fact that upheavals in the political and racial climate were were hugely more consequential in nature. A national shift in culture far greater than the Beatles. I was well-tuned into the events around the death of Martin Luther King and tried hard as a teenager to understand the radical changes that our country was undergoing.

baltimore sun MLK headlinesIn one chapter of my memoir I recall the feelings I had one morning as I sat at the kitchen table reading the headlines and the reports in the Baltimore Sun Newspaper. I felt as if I was sitting amid a battlefield I had so many scary, anxious thoughts running through my mind.

Thank God my thoughts running rampant were very different than reality for me. But for so many people residing within the boundaries of the inner city of Baltimore my thoughts were a reality of their living conditions.

I have some fun things planned for next week  All Things Fulfilling on Monday. We will be celebrating twin week. Have a good weekend!