My sweet oldest daughter Sarah learned today that she passed her national boards, making her a Board Certified Family Physician. That test, which was nine hours long, is the last hurdle for Sarah besides officially finishing her residency in September. Right now she is half way through the last of the truly tough rotations. She is…
Author: lenleatherwood
I am a native Texan who has lived for the past 30 years in Southern California. I am a published author of both short memoir and fiction, a two-time Pushcart nominee, a nationally award-winning writing coach, an editor, as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. In addition, I am the mother of three grown daughters of whom I am extremely proud, a grandmother of four darling children and the wife of a man I still love after 44 years.
37th Wedding Anniversary
Today, Ray and I are celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary. What a wonderful whirlwind those 37 years have been. This is my favorite photograph of us. We are visiting the gardens of Versailles. Our children are there along with two friends. We are united, in sync, happy, in motion. Gray clouds can not dampen our…
Reward for “One of Those Days”
Crazy day. A bunch of small details that needed attention. Had to have attention. One after the other, all day long. Back to back and some jumping in before another was finished. All required sitting at the computer or being on the phone or being on the phone while sitting at the computer. Yikes. Good…
Today: A Busy One
Today has been full. Ray and I are going full-speed ahead on eBay listings since we have so many new items from our latest estate that we are handling. We got up early and listed before church for a couple of hours, then we went to church where I served as subdeacon. From there, I…
Fun with Grand Babies and My Kids.
I had a lovely time with Luna and Nico yesterday and part of today. I had the pleasure of taking them to the park before heading over to Auntie Rachael’s and Ariel’s for dinner with Auntie Liz, Ron and Grandpa. Here are a few photos of our time together. Lots of fun. Thanks Rachael and…
National Teaching Award in Writing
I am happy to report that I recently received a national teaching award from the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers for my help in mentoring my writing students in their entries for the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest. This is the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth, grades 7 – 12, in…
Memory: One of My Childhood Refuges
When I was a little girl, I’d sit in the living room of our house on East 9th Street and listen to records on our stereo with its pull-out recorder player. I think the records, such as “Get A Job” by The Silhouettes, “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford and “Oh, Donna” by Ritchie Valens,…
Unexpected Kindness
Today I had to go to AAA (mini DMV) to transfer a title from Texas to California for the Airstream. (Yes, it has taken me a while, but I did get there, didn’t I?). The young man who helped me asked me if I had always gone by the name of Len for Helen. “Yes,”…
Thoughts on Memorial Day
I was thinking about Memorial Day today, particularly after listening to a snippet of Tom Brokaw’s special “The Greatest Generation” on the radio. One man Brokaw interviewed was a World War II veteran who said that he told God that if He helped him get through the fighting then when he returned home, he would…
My Sister: A Wave of Memory
Today, I worked for several hours listing items for eBay. One was a stone statue of a family carved by an Inuit artist. As I photographed this piece, moving it several times to get different angles, a vivid memory washed over me. I was fifteen again, visiting the Royal Gorge with my sister Leslie, her…
20 Minutes a Day 