Yesterday, I went to church to serve as the reader for Morning Prayer and found myself in “a right state.” In other words, I was a mess. On the way to church I read an email from a friend of mine who told me that she had reunited with a long-lost brother and I was…
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.
Happy Birthday, Mom
The year is 1972, the month is February, and this is three days before my father would die from lung cancer. This was our last family photo and it commemorates the last time I saw my dad alive since I left later that day to return to Austin where I was a freshman at the…
Story Based on 3 Prompts: Police, Side of Head, Caught
Guilty I was sixteen when it happened. I didn’t mean to do it, but the police didn’t believe that. Actually, nobody believed it since I had been bragging earlier that week that if Josh bothered me again, I was going to smack him up the side of the head. I was talking to a bunch…
A Reconstructed Obituary for My Brother, Jim
My brother Jim’s high school class is having their 50th anniversary this Saturday and I was contacted to supply Jim’s obituary for a table honoring deceased classmates. I couldn’t find it; so I reconstructed it from memory. Here it is along with some pictures of Jim. James Louis Leatherwood was born on December 9, 1946…
Dinner in Kingman, Arizona
I am sitting outside a Del Taco in Kingman, Arizona and Ray is inside ordering up a few bean burritos for us. It is 7:14 pm and we are still almost 5 hours from home. Midnight is our ETA. Today we have fought strong winds through most of West Texas and New Mexico, which has…
Asleep at the Wheel
We have made it to Quanah, Texas in one piece, no thanks to me. I was driving along, listening to the radio while Ray was crumpled in the front seat, sleeping. I was aware that I was tired. After all, we were up by 6 this morning and worked hard to get ready for the…
A Reason to Feel Pleased
I am sitting in the kitchen of our Texas home on our last night here. Tomorrow, mid-afternoon, we head back to CA via car. We will arrive in time (God willing) for a full roster of my students on Thursday. The kitchen is quiet. Rachael came earlier and picked up the dogs to take to…
A Different Kind of Easter This Year
Today was the first day in almost 32 years that I haven’t spent Easter with at least one of my children. That’s a biggie for me, but it’s okay. Everyone is well and I am the one out of pocket, not them. We are in Texas working on the completion of our house project across…
A Short Letter to Rachael on Her Birthday
Dear Rachael, I have been thinking of you all day since this is your birthday. Let me just say a few things about you that I know: 1) You are one of the nicest people I know. 2) You are smart. 3) You have an exceptional sense of humor. 4) You are one of the…
To Ron on His Birthday
Today is Liz’s boyfriend, Ron’s, birthday. Ron and Liz met the first day of law school and have been pretty much joined at the hip since that first meeting. (Or so it seems from a mother’s perspective.) They survived that 2 year accelerated course, then studied for and took the bar together before heading out…
20 Minutes a Day 