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An obituary for the author, Sue Batton Leonard, on a life well lived.

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Sue Anne Batton Leonard passed away peacefully on October 30 due to heart failure at the age of 71. Sue was born on August 20, 1953 along with a twin sister, Jan Lee Batton. Her parents were Fred C. Batton, Jr. and Helen Meads Batton, predeceased.

Sue grew up in Towson, MD and attended Towson High School and received a bachelor’s degree at Johnson State College in Johnson, VT. 

She took great pleasure in her volunteer work in communities where she has lived throughout her life : Stowe, VT, Bondville, VT , Steamboat Springs, CO and most recently Bel Air, MD. Sue loved interaction and connection with her many family members, high school and college friends, acquaintances in her community and churches, as well as with, friends and colleagues in the publishing and art world. 

Sue Batton Leonard was an award winning memoir writer which included her own memoir, Gift of A Life Time: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Other memoirs authored by her are An Artist Journey: Richard Galusha, as well as, A Life In Retrospect: Claire Krantz Ebeling. She also published two books of short stories, Heart of Community and Short Stories: Lessons of the Heart and Soul. Sue was also a contributing writer for the book, Wounded Healers. 

Sue was known to many for in her positive and insightful writings through her blog, 

AllThingsFullfilling.com which delivered heartfelt, uplifting and inspiring thoughts. She also shared her knowledge of writing and self publishing as well as information on church, art and community.

Sue Batton Leonard is survived by her beloved son, Marc Ryan Leonard, daughter in law, Meghan Womack and two granddaughters, Charlotte and Louisa Leonard (known to them as SueSue). She is also survived by a twin sister, Jan Batton Smolca and two brothers, Rick and Scott Batton as well as seven nieces and nephews. Sue will be greatly missed and remembered by many as one who lived her life with great strength, optimism, resiliency and faith. 

A celebration of life will be held at a future date to be determined.

Deeply Ingrained: #1 in Blog Series

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Naturally, since I am a memoir writer, I spend much time thinking about the influences our ancestors played in the kind of life we live after they have departed this Earth. For me, this topic can not be covered all in one blog post. This is the first in a series of three writings on this subject. What I have in mind for the final, I am especially excited about because it will culminate the series into an obvious thread of ponderings.

“I remember with great affection my mother’s wonderful eye for design and the well-coordinated home she made for us four kids and my Dad, the one who custom-built homes for our family and so many others…The hunt for economical, special cast offs is something I have developed…they bring interest to an abode…” ~ excerpts of writings from my personal journal which sits on my  inherited 1920’s antique spinet writing desk of my grandmother. ~  Sue Batton Leonard.

Do return for the 2nd in the series of blog posts about my life as a memoir-writer and other ponderings about my family flock. Our ancestor’s influences have been cast into the big net of family who took great notice.

 Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. ~ Winston Churchill

Art Journeys

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Hemingway once said “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 

For the time being, a place on one of my “art adventures wish lists” has been put on the sidelines. Mother Nature dealt Asheville, NC a hard-blow with Hurricane Helene and I pray for the Floridians who will face ravages of Hurricane Milton. One can only hope “a better safe than sorry,” approach has been taken and the coastal residents have fled for safety.

For now, Asheville, North Carolina, specifically the arts district and the beautiful grounds of the Biltmore have been replaced with an art museum in Bentonville, Arkansas which has been on my radar for quite sometime.

The curvaceous Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

There are current and many upcoming exhibitions which can be viewed on their website. Even if much time passes before I hit this art venue on my “wish list” I have no fear of missing out. Great exhibitions are always scheduled at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

 

Quiet the Waters

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And on this beautiful fall day, my memories ripple over one another, like stones tripping over water. So writing about a central theme  is not the goal for this day.

 

Last summer on our 70th landmark birthday weekend, my twin sister and I found this scene along the Brandywine River in PA when we went to the 2023 American Impressionistic Society Show.

 

Take a few minutes to quiet. What thoughts come to your mind when you look at this image? Sitting in peace once a day for ten minutes or more, daily without one thing other than our own thoughts, is the only way we can truly quiet the waters.

“Peoples thoughts can be a deep well, but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there.” ~ Proverbs 20:05

Art From the Soldier – Update

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Art from the Soldier by Pamela Wilde has such a beautiful mission behind it that I’d like to give you an update of a previous post . The time is nearing and here are more details about it’s September 2024 Opening Exhibition.

Date: September 20, 2024 5:00pm to 8pm

Place of Show: Ophelia’s Making Agency, At the corner of Career and Creativity

280 W Market Street YORK PA

Don’t miss it!

 

 

 

In Our Thirst

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A friend recently stated, “the world is hungry for beauty.” I do believe she is right!  I take refuge in what I value and most appreciate. It’s been said we are products of what we surround ourselves with.

Many of the negative things that are happening in our midst, we can do little about but we can do something about our own personal environment in which we live. When you thirst, draw from your well or reservoir of what lifts your spirit and the spirit of others.

Working at the Scene

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Words are not just words laid down on a page to a writer and paint is not just paint to an artist. Paint and words are the mediums used to create the story. And it is much more difficult than many realize.

Color and light is important to interpret what the plein air painter sees before them. A writer makes every attempt to create a vision of color and life for their readers by choosing the right words which helps the reader clearly understand the picture and invest in the story.

When I set out on my daily walk sometimes I do mental gymnastics. Maybe I’ll look at an abandoned house or a stonewall or a field of flowers trying to make up a scene about what I am seeing. What was life like inside the house? What is the history behind a stone wall that has been there for many a decade? What is a skittering squirrel doing while running through a field of flowers all full of activity? It may sound very strange, but a writer is always composing stories.

When I get caught up in the story and haven’t noticed I am walking is when I think I might be onto something.

If you were the writer, what words would you use to create a story around this scene?

Songs of the Laborers

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Do you ever have those days where you need an encourager to walk the road with you? The other day I found such a person in a very unexpected place. She was up on a roof and completely unaware of the impact she was making.

Here’s what happened. About a week ago, I walked slowly through the streets of a neighborhood, my pace was slower than usual because it was only 7:30am and it was already hot. That day it reached 93 degrees. Most people with common sense would probably not purposefully venture out in it. But, I was determined to get my daily steps in.

As I neared a house, I heard a woman’s voice and I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Finally, as I grew nearer, I identified what it was. A house was being re-roofed, and the only female of the crew, was singing a spiritual song, it’s rhythm syncopated with the banging of the hammer.

Songs in the workplace have long been part of many culture’s history – from those of the industrial workers making garments, to sea shanties of fisherman, to field workers pulling tobacco for harvest, to those who sang “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

As I walked on, I considered the singing worker’s role. Was the woman the spark that helped drive each and every worker? Was she innately called to be an encourager? Were the spirituals she sang deeply ingrained in her from her ancestral history? Her song motivated me to keep moving forward and gave me new perspective on the task I had set out to do in the heat of the morning. Surely it was not as hot for me, as it was up on the roof in the blaring sun. I was able to dip in and out underneath the shade trees lining the street, but it was not to be for her and her working companions.

“Some of the greatest sermons that have ever been preached were preached by the singing of a song.” —Spencer W. Kimball

 

 

Nature’s Perfumery

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Nature’s Perfumery at Ladew Topiary Gardens – it’s located in the corridor running between the Great Bowl and the Tivoli Tea House. As I sat on the garden bench in the corridor on Tuesday, a slight breeze carried the beautiful scent right by me where I could well appreciate the lavender’s healing properties of calm, peace and tranquility. What a gift it is that our Creator put such plants on Earth for the benefit of us human beings.

Photos:  Corridor of Lavender  now July 3, 2024, a then April 2024