Category Archives: journal writing

Skipping Around with Images

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“Each one sees what one carries in the heart” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The assimilation process of language is interesting. It reminds me how important it is that parents watch their words to their children. One never knows what will come back to us from our offspring.  Words of beauty, compassion and understanding, are better echoed by our children than words of hatred and intolerance. To learn more about language assimilation of children, please read this article http://bit.ly/133mukU.

I come by my interest in flowers and gardening, naturally, through my parents. I never realized how much knowledge  I had assimilated about flowers in my formative years until I married a man whose father was a landscaper. Garden talk automatically became common lingo in our household when our lives converged. I am both surprised and delighted when our son whips out names of familiar flowers that have grown in our gardens. He has naturally ingested the names of many species.

I know what you are thinking. “Sue sure has gone out on a tangent this morning – Odd! Where is this subject matter coming from?”I am using stream of consciousness writing, today. http://bit.ly/117U99S.  A beautiful flower that I photographed at my parents house  started me down this path of thought.

This flower, digitalis (better known as foxglove) has always been present in my garden. But the blossom pictured, is the most beautiful of its kind I have ever seen. It could serve as a specimen plant because it is particularly noteworthy and deserves “center stage.” The stem is as wide as three stems fused together, and unusually flat shaped – a real treasure. Without the abnormally shaped stem, the heavy and enormous flower would topple over! When I saw it, it made my heart skip a beat.

Those are my fulfilling independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com today. Come back tomorrow, perhaps my writing will be more cohesive.

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Photo 1: Check out the triple width stem of the unusually formed digitalis.

Photo in Middle:  Three ordinary foxglove (digitalis) and one hefty, atypical plant

Photo 3: Close up of atypical specimen of digitalis.

To read more about this species of flower, digitalis, please go to .http://bit.ly/11aZikG.

Family, Faith and Travel

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“Each day I am thankful for; nights turned into morning, friends that turned into family, dreams that turned into reality and likes that turned into love.” ~ Ritu Ghatourey

I’ve been swept up in a whirlwind of fulfilling things since arriving on the East Coast. It all began with attending a social event of a book club group with women who reside in and around the historic area surrounding TaylorsIsland in Dorchester County, Maryland. The Grace Foundation is restoring churches and doing work on the island to preserve the history of the churches and schoolhouses. http://bit.ly/16Ezcex.

“The Postmistress” by Sarah Blake, a book I recently read and adored, is on the reading booklist for the book club for this coming summer. Based on a small town sea-side community during World War 2, the post office was a hub of activity, and the spinster postmistress knows secrets which if told, will change the lives of some of the residents. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.

Then I traveled to the Boston area to attend the beautiful wedding of our niece on my husband’s side of the family. It was so wonderful to see the bride and her sister (our second Leonard niece), who are now both married adults.

We also spent a lovely evening in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and had dinner at Loretta’s. The harbor area in Newburyport has changed greatly since last time I visited many  years ago. Full of wonderful restaurants with varied cuisine, we also went art gallery hopping. As a Mother’s Day present, my husband bought me a New England artisan-crafted necklace from Annie’s of Newburyport. Then we finished the evening with dessert at a fantastic coffee shop complete with musical entertainment featuring a sole independent musician playing the guitar.

Join me tomorrow on my journey back to Vermont, my state of residence for more than thirty years. I was greeted by “Miss America” of the independent publishing industry! She’s quite a package! Well-built, for future developments.

Here are just a few pictures from my fulfilling travels:

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My favorite home away from home, my favorite writing place in the lighthouse

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Hope for a bountiful catch

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Rode my bike to the vineyards on the Island

too early in the season for fruit on the vine

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John the Baptist Church, Peabody, MA for niece’s wedding

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Beautiful bride (above)

and her maid of honor – her sister

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Stained Glass Window

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Dinner in Newburyport, MA at Loretta

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Couldn’t resist this photo http://www.imarc.net/  for our son, Marc R Leonard.

He seems to be showing up everywhere!

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My Mother’s Day Present – New England Artisan Crafted

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Left my heart in Taylor’s Island, Maryland

will be back to get it before my trip to the East Coast is over!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business!

All Things Fulfilling News

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celebrate artI hope you will return on Tuesday. It will be celebration worth writing about. Readers, I hope you will help me spread the word, through social media about tomorrow’s monumental day.

Some people say they don’t have time to fool with social media and “all that nonsense.” But,  someone once said ” everyone has same number of days that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, etc…” And look what they made of their days – a name for themselves!

You, readers, have found the time to visit All Things Fulfilling for your own reasons. Whatever has struck your fancy, whether it is information on the independent publishing industry or the other subjects we regularly blog about, it is has kept you coming back. I greatly appreciate that. You have given me incentive to keep on writing. “A true artist is not someone who is inspired, but someone who inspires others.”

Click on the link below and join me at the space below for a little pre-celebration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN2_ydMMeG8

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See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, the space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Books Bring a Change in Environment

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“Conservation is a state of harmony between man and land.” ~ Aldo Leopold

sunrise on the chesapeakeEarly yesterday morning, as I sat looking out over the Chesapeake Bay typing a blog about Walk Two Moons, something very beautiful occurred. A pod of dolphins swam by in front of me. Close to the shoreline, they surfaced and dove, surfaced and dove, very graceful in their movements. It was as if they were signaling a good morning greeting. The water was serene and still, compared to many other mornings when I’ve visited and storms are raging.

“What a different world, I am in right now” I thought, “still a natural environment but unlike the wild, wild West.” One surrounding is not more beautiful than the other, just unique in the kind of climate challenges the residents face.

I recently read a book called Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas, a Colorado author. I learned a lot about what life was like during the days of homesteading and mining in the 1930’s and what friendship means to the human spirit.

Although we humans live in many kinds of different environments, the challenges in life can be the same.  How we as individuals face stormy seas, is all about attitudes and our survival skills in handling it.

That is why I love to read. Books and films allow a way to escape to other places and “walk on other moons.” Through reading, we have the opportunity to see things that we might not ever be able to experience otherwise, and learn how others deal with adversity and being tested.

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. Off I go now, to visit a silk factory in China, and forge relationships with women who work in it.

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

Engagement through Books and Writing

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There are a great many human souls whom we should accept more kindly, and even appreciate more clearly, if we simply thought of them as people in a story.” ~G.K. Chesterton,What I Saw in America

book clubYesterday, I went to a book club on the East Coast, and had a fulfilling experience with a group full of strangers. It made me reflect on how, in recent years, building relationships with others, through books and writing, has become part of my life story.

Books.  They connect us to other people. Worldwide, it’s gotten easier for people to meet-up through web-based book clubs and writers groups to build relationships of common interests. I’ve have the opportunity to open doors and step inside the lives of all kinds of people that I ordinarily would never have had the chance to meet, if it hadn’t been for books.

The dialogue that an author creates in penning a book helps the reader to know the personalities of the people we meet between the covers. Whether a person is physically attractive or not, walks through life with an attitude or is kind to others is determined through the words a talented author uses to craft the story. How and where a person lives and what kinds of relationships they maintain, is revealed through a good narrative. Characters in a story can even help the reader  learn more about themselves.

When you come right down to it, the way our personal tales go is a reflection of the people who pass through our lives. Whether we allow them stay, can be a determining factor in whether a relationship is fulfilling or not. Like the characters in each book we read, even when we let go of certain people, we are never quite the same for having let them in.

Meeting new people in life and in books is all about coming away from the experience learning something we never knew before.

See you next time on  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. Click for Info & Ordering

Stimulating Writing Ideas

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writer-caffeineIs this all it takes to write books? Smokin’ hot jamoke?

The hours I have spent pondering a good storyline, laboring over the computer, staying up late, getting up early, it’s all been for naught? Muggy thoughts have come because I prefer a cuppa tea over coffee?

Henry Fielding once said “love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.” I’ve taken his word as sacred and read heaps of romance novels, all in hopes of providing readers with a delightfully saccharine love story of my own. Creative non-fiction, in the form of a memoir, does that substitution work?

Had I known the key to prolific writing requires being a java jiving connoisseur, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache and hard work. A tall carafe of coffee and I could have been turning out “happily ever afters” faster than breeding rabbits? Really? No joke? Today,  I’ll take a large order of smokin’ hot jamoke.

See you next time on  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

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Stepping into New Territory

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Travel quoteOver the next few weeks, I will be taking a business trip, going to new places and visiting old haunts, too. Ultimately, in my travels, my goal will be to find fulfilling things in my journeys. They  may be unexpected, and I’ll share the content digitally. Perhaps it will mean more photos than writing. We will see what develops!

Whenever you frequent this blog space, I encourage you to stay and explore all the other 1,100+ blog postings  on All Things Fulfilling. There’s a lot of information about independent films, music and books as well as educational information about the independent publishing process. Other subjects such as writings on the arts, career motivation, self-improvement, relationships and business, and they can be looked up by category,  on the right hand side of the page.

I’m not exactly where I am going to find myself in my business travels. Whatever I encounter, I’ll  assimilate the experience, enjoy it and share it like an open book.

Return tomorrow to  All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Neighborly Inspiration

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inspiredWe have a whole group of individuals, right here in Routt County, Colorado, who are inspiring others through their independent publishing. I’ve gotten notice that we have several book contest finalists from our meet-up group, We Write Steamboat.

On May 18th in Lone Tree, Colorado the EVVY book awards will be presented by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Who will take home the prizes?

Each author has been a motivating force for others because they have pursued their passion for writing. Some share educational or career knowledge and experiences, others share very personal stories, others use their creative powers to craft a fictional piece of literature.

Today, I’d like to honor each one, award-winner or not, for having the perseverance to complete the writing process and publish it. Some have chosen to publish their books digitally (e-book), others, audio format, or a book in hardcover or paperback. Smart authors make their publications available in all formats, whenever possible.

I’d also like to thank our members of We Write Steamboat for supporting me and others in our group. Because independent publishers find community, rather than viewing each other as competitors, the industry is growing and so is our networking group. How fulfilling is that? It’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood of Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in living a life inspired by other independent publishers.

rainbows-of-hope-260883Look forward to your return to   All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

The Song of Hope

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twitter-bird-winkingThe other day when I was participating in World Book Night, I read the full list of books that were being distributed as part the event. Most were previous years best sellers. Some I had read, but not too many. My nose is usually between the covers of one my clients independently published books, where there’s plenty of fulfilling reading. There are not enough hours in the day to hit all the NY Times best sellers.

Reading the list led me to wonder how many books do you have to sell to be considered a best selling author? Research tells me 5,000 copies or more.  Clearly, most authors write because they love the process of creating a satisfying story.

But, for every writer out there, there is an element of hope among us. Hope that our books will do much better than we ever anticipated. Some of us allow ourselves to dream beyond our wildest imaginations.

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Don’t we all dream of better tomorrows? That’s what inspires writers to get up every morning.

I hope you’ll return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. A  LIVELY Friday is planned. We will be sharing independent thoughts, words and views that are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Hazy Language becomes Clear

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“Sometimes in our confusion, we see not the world as it is, but the world though eyes blurred by the mind.” ~ Unknown

This morning, I’ve been thinking about all the blogs I have written over the past few years. Some mornings, I’ve had a very clear vision for what I want to write about and other days, it’s a hazy start.

For me, the key is not to aim for perfection on the first draft. Eventually something usually takes hold inside of me, the words begin to flow. Soon a clear vision comes through and I find direction in my writing.

Occasionally, however, I have to scrap everything and start all over. On those days, I vow I must put in an order, over the internet, for Joseph M. Williams and Gregory G. Colomb’s publication Style: Toward Clarity and Grace.

Style Toward Clarity and GraceAccording to Williams, a professor of English at University of Chicago, until 2008, “it is good to write clearly, and anyone can.” This book is a good resource for all writers to put on their bookshelf because there isn’t a writer who doesn’t face the challenge of not being able to write succinctly from time to time.

There’s a new generation of students, however, who we will feature tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling, who are being taught to understand cryptic and obscure language at a very young age. Not all folks can interpret the symbols behind the writing they are studying.

Return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.