Category Archives: teaching values to children

Friendship and Courage

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“Friends give us the courage to lift the blinds on our hearts. To open up and show what we generally keep hidden from the rest of the world.” ~ Unknown

One day, several months after Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected was published, my phone rang. It was a surprise call from one of my childhood friends.

“How did you do that?” asked the caller.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Write all that stuff about yourself.”

“I don’t know, ” I said to my friend. “I felt the need to tell the story and share it with children who are going through tough stuff in life. Besides, I felt safe. I knew that my true friends who didn’t know about my childhood medical history, wouldn’t abandon me when they knew the facts. (And believe me – to many my story came as a surprise!) True friends don’t do that.”

GS2When I spoke with the Girl Scouts this spring we talked about the importance of  including a diversity of people in our circle of friends. “People who may be different can teach us to look at things differently,” I said.

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As the eve of the Girl Scout Campfire and Reunion approaches, can’t help but think about the song we used to most frequently sing in Girl Scouts. “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”

I look forward to making new acquaintances with others who also benefitted from the days of being a member of the Girl Scouts.

Tinctures and Hues

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“Innocence tinctures all things with the brightest hues.” ~Edward Counsel

Last summer my sister and I returned to our childhood community.

In our travels we discussed how things aren’t always how they seem to be. In our youthful minds two hills that were in our neighborhood, which we climbed to go to the bus stop and to visit our friends up the street, seemed to be ginourmous. Oh how they added to the burdens we beared as we headed off to school with our backpacks feeling unprepared – homework not completed, reading assignments ignored and mounting peer pressure as we matured.

As adults we saw for ourselves that the many challenges we faced were merely molehills rather then mountains. With age, everything comes into real perspective.

In my memoir, I mention childhood illness, and how fortunate I was to go through the most difficult times of my life unaware of the seriousness of my condition and my pioneering heart surgery.

For the Sake of OthersGiving children tools for resilience in life is a lifelong gift that you can bestow upon your children. Dr. John Townsend’s book, which I posted a blog about last week, talks about how entitlement for people of any age is not always the best way to go through life because we learn from our hardships. If you would like to read more about the importance of teaching children to be resilient, I’d also suggest this website.

Look forward to your return tomorrow. The importance of friendships will be our topic on All Things Fulfilling.

This blog is brought to you by EVVY award-winning author, Sue Batton Leonard.

 

 

Gathering to Spark Memories

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Girl-Scout-Camp-Smores-Pops

 

Guess where I am going? To a Girl Scout Alumni Bonfire! Campfire Songs, skits, s’mores and an evening of remembering days of a being a member of a 100+ year old youth organization is planned in Routt County, Colorado. I immediately sent my RSVP to the affirmative. Yes! I don’t want to miss it! The event will surely spark memories of my youth.

I live in a resort community of people who have moved here from places all over America and from different countries, so the evening will be interesting. We can compare what it was like to be a Girl Scout (there are six levels: a Daisy, a Brownie, a Junior, a Cadette or Senior  or Ambassador Girl Scout) in different hometowns across the globe. The experiences each girl had throughout her years as a member, I am sure, were varied.

The Girl Scouts was started in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low and it’s mission was universal. Here is what the founder said about her vision of the organization “My purpose……to go on with my heart and soul, devoting all my energies to Girl Scouts, and heart and hand with them, we will make our lives and the lives of the future girls happy, healthy and holy.” 

I reminisce about those wonderful days of being a Girl Scout in my memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Chapter 28 – Paper Roses is one of my favorites.

After the event is over, I’ll let you know how it went.

I am looking for suggestions of campfire songs. If you were a Girl Scout and remember the names of the songs you used to sing around the bonfire or at Girl Scout camp, please post them as a comment on All Things Fulfilling. I look forward to your input!

This blog is brought to you by EVVY award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

 

 

Community of Blessings

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“Community is a sign that love is possible in a materialistic world… It is a sign that we don’t need a lot of money to be happy–in fact, the opposite.”
― Jean Vanier, Community And Growth

Last summer I mentioned to my mother and sister the fact that the harvest season does not seem to be as decorated in the West as in the East. “Perhaps that’s because Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, the place of the landing of the Pilgrims, is geographically closer, so the season of fall is more celebrated. But, I really don’t know what it is,” I admitted.

On Sunday I arrived at the doors of my church and found it beautifully decorated for the fall season. The blessings of community and sermons of life lessons, relevant to today’s world, are always inside these church doors.

IMG_20151011_084245_836 Reflections last week from the Rev. Tim Selby included the question “And How Are the Children?”  Unfortunately in this day and age with all of the incidents in schools we can’t confidently answer “All are safely gathered in.”IMG_20151011_084455_846

By the end of the sermon each and everyone of us hoped our prayers would be heard as we sang the closing hymn “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

If you wish to hear the words of the message, keep your eye on the church website where recordings of each Sunday’s lessons are always posted.

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

Harvest of Life Lessons

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“For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.” –   Edwin Way Teale

Greetings! It is a fabulous fall morning. I’d like to send out an invitation for you to come to my house! Enter through the doors of my childhood through my publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

In my youth I was kept in stitches by a beautiful character named Fanny and my heart was sewn together too. Both were gifts that led me to live a fulfilling life. Through my memoir, I share a harvest of life lessons taught to me by my strong family.

The teapot is filled in anticipation of your coming, there are homemade ginger snaps on the table and I hope you will enjoy the inspiring words of my beloved Fanny during this fine fall season. The real treasure lies in the voice in the EVVY award-winning audio book. But if you prefer the paperback or a digital download of an e-book, those are available too!

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Happy Harvest Everybody! Do return tomorrow and on Friday I want to tell you about an event that I just received an invitation to that will take me back to my childhood days. I am very excited.

 

Views on Entitlement

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“Finding your life’s work involves taking risks.” ~ Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

Ok, so, I am a self-professed personal growth junky. It comes from my interest in human behavior. I’m entitled to be that way, I suppose, as long as I don’t spend too much time reading about life rather than living it and enjoying the results.

An author, Dr. John Townsend, recently sent me an Advance Readers Copy (ARC) of The Entitlement Cure: Finding Success in Doing Hard Things the Right Way to review. I was psyched when it arrived in my mailbox! Why? Because as long as I am on this Earth, there is room for more self-improvement.

The book is dedicated “To all who live life the hard way, because life works best that way.” 

Haven’t most of us experienced some of that? In my own life I know faith and hope ( basic fundamentals) have kept me moving forward and optimistic when facing challenges.

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Hard knocks bring the biggest challenges paired with opportunity for change and a reason to prove something to ourselves.

The good news according to Dr. Townsend is none of us are exempt from a little entitlement (he refers to this as pocket entitlement). We are made that way from our Creator and there is a cure for those who suffer from more entitlement than what is considered normal.

The author, Dr. John Townsend, a leadership expert, psychologist, public speaker and NY Times best-selling author of Boundaries gives strategies that help individuals understand that the “easy way” is not the best way. It is what brings about feelings of entitlement in the first place.

I highly recommend this publication. Here is more about the author and the book.

This blog is brought to you by EVVY award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

 

Families in Shipping and Commerce

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“Great people have great values and great ethics.” ~ Jeffrey Gitomer

I recently revisited a National Historic site that I remember from my childhood.  It’s just a couple of miles from where I grew up in Towson, Maryland.

Hampton Mansion, tagged as a “Palace in the Wilderness,” at one time equaled half the area of present day Baltimore. The site tells a story of early settlers, the Ridgely family, prominent Marylander’s who were colonial merchants in iron production, shipping and commerce. Ridgely’s iron was said to be “the most profitable exports in the mid-Atlantic colonies.” Read more about this tale of an industrious family who helped fuel a new nation.

The artifacts, beautiful gardens, parterres and vistas, the Georgian mansion, stables and workers quarters for the indentured servants are all evidence of a powerful businessman, who was said to be “genteel” kept “the best table in America” and was “very kind to his servants”. Written entries in journals evidence the care that was taken make Christmas gift lists for all the domestic help of the estate.

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Keep it in the Family

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Pounds of Love

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Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. ~Seneca

This is one of the best good news stories I have read in a long time about the power of women who band together to make the world a little bit better.

The heartwarming ingredients in the story include:

  • Nine compassionate women
  • A wonderful mission
  • Pounds of sweet beginnings and endings
  • 35 years of  secrecy and dedication
  • Southern soul, charm and kindness
  • Love for others and community

The end result: “Happiness Happens!”

Pound Cake with love

Do not miss this article.  Click here and read the full story.  Check in on us tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Yankee Doodle Day

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Happy 4th of July everybody!

Yankee Doodle DandyThankfully, PBS broadcasts our nation’s Capitol 4th of July for those who must witness it from afar. When I get home from the local fireworks, I automatically flip on the channel. If you have never been to Washington, DC, you are missing something significant. It’s a gift of a lifetime trip that every American should be privy to. The museums, statues and other landmarks are all free, so no one is left out from seeing the attractions as long as you can get there.

When 9/11 happened, the USA rallied and we Americans showed our support for one another by decorating our homeland. It’s a shame many of the flags, banners and other signs of patriotism have since disappeared. They are  good reminders of the freedoms we enjoy and are worth, literally and figuratively, fighting for.

And, why do we save our patriotic songs for Independence Day? In my opinion, they ought to be sung more often! Here are 100 patriotic favorites.   How many do you recognize? Many of the tunes tell the tale of our country’s heritage, and it is important that all generations of Americans know the most famous anthems.

Have a Yankee Doodle Dandy kind of day! On Monday on All Things Fulfilling, I will share reflections of my 4th of July celebrations from Ski Town, U.S.A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApcqO8p61Sw

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.