My little granddaughter, 20½-month-old Luna arrived today for a visit. “Hi, grandbaby!” she said as she leaned forward for me to take her in my arms. I looked at my daughter, her aunt and nanny. “Grandbaby?” “That’s what she’s calling you these days. She was chanting, “Grandbaby, grandbaby, grandbaby,” all the way over here. My…
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.
A Deep Sense of Satisfaction
I am sitting here tonight feeling proud. I have all my Scholastic entries in for my students – a total of 25 – and the packet is on its way to New York City as I write. It will arrive by noon tomorrow at the Scholastic offices, a full day ahead of the deadline. Wow….
Scholastic Entries for My Writing Students
I am knee-deep in submissions for my students to the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in grades 7 – 12 in the U.S. It is almost 2 am and I have been steadily working for the past 6 hours. I have 10 kids with 20 submissions;…
The People in My Life
I took pictures today at the Breakfast Club, our church’s homeless breakfast program, and it occurred to me as I surveyed all the smiling faces of the volunteers just how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many good people. These fellow volunteers, with their devotion to good-hearted service, are only a few of the people…
Post Rain
We slept to the pitter-patter of raindrops last night and early this morning, such a peaceful sound. The air feels cleaner; the streets washed clean. My garden is thriving after such a slow soaking rain. It’s as if the whole city has been run through an automatic car wash, with all the dirt and grime…
Rain Coming Again So Soon
We have been preparing today for our second experience with rain in the past ten days. We had boxes from the estates we’ve been handling that needed to be moved to safety given that we’re not only expecting lots of rain, but also some high winds. It felt slightly odd to be scurrying about anticipating…
A Quick Note to Self
Dear Body, I promise to do better by you. I can see I need to eat more vegetables and fruits and move more. I am also aware that I could use more sleep as well as a bit more downtime. I plan to read online about foods that will help these bits of inflammation I’m…
Book Review and Author Interview
I am happy to introduce my readers to a wonderful author, Fran Simone, PhD, who has written a heart-felt and helpful memoir entitled, Dark Wine Waters: My Husband of a Thousand Joys and Sorrows. This book recounts the author’s experience of being married to an alcoholic and is a clear-sighted look at the disease of…
Ready to Hit the Sack
I am sitting here tonight at 8:37 already ready to go to bed. In fact, I’m in bed, just not ready for bed yet. I still have to go downstairs, close the back door and turn off lights, then come upstairs and take a bath and brush my teeth. Ray and I have been out…
Flash Fiction: Hot Pink in the Synagogue
I was dressed in a completely inappropriate shade of pink and I didn’t care. In fact, all I really wanted to do march down the aisle of that synagogue and shout “hello” to as many people as possible while the Rabbi was praying. Yes, you guessed it. I was ticked off at Rabbi Coulter. He…
20 Minutes a Day 