MenoShine WOW: Leana
Welcome to this week’s MenoShine WOW - introducing our Woman of the Week. Since I started the WOW series, back in May, I’ve introduced you to some of my closest friends in the world who I’ve know for over 35 years. Then, I highlighted my lovely mum, celebrating her 80th birthday. These women, I’ve know for decades.
This week’s WOW, Leana, and I, have only known each other for just over a year, but she is one of those sacred souls who I feel like I’ve known for a lifetime.
Meet my beautiful friend, Leana Conway.
I first met Leana at a meeting where I was sharing about the process of self-publishing books. She sat at the other end of a long table from me and when I said I was originally from England, I saw her beaming from ear to ear, and her sparkly, kind eyes said everything I needed to know. We went around the table introducing ourselves, and when it was Leana’s turn, she said “Oh, Jo! YOU get to be my replacement British friend!” and went on to explain that she was from Canada, loved everything English, and that her dear friend, and fellow Brit, had recently moved away, and so I would fit perfectly into her spot!
I knew we’d be instant friends from that moment on.
The second time I met Leana was at a coffee shop. We’d arranged to meet to discuss her writing goals. Leana had been a writer for a local print magazine, sharing inspirational stories of various people in the community. A job that she loved until, unfortunately, the magazine abruptly shut down.
As she waltzed into the coffee shop, I noticed she had a cast on her wrist. “Don’t even ask…” she said, as I looked down at her hand, “…you won’t believe how I did this!” She went on to tell me the hilarious story of how in filming a segment for her new blog (Sashaying Through Life) she tripped and fell “with the grace of a camel on roller skates,” only to find the next day that she’d broken her wrist and would require surgery and pins to fix it!
All of that would be a lot for anyone. But for Leana, it was worse. She is a full-time caregiver to her lovely husband, Dennis, who has multiple sclerosis and is a quadriplegic. But instead of being down in the dumps and worried about her wrist, there she was, sitting with me in a coffee shop, full of joy and laughter, and wanting to know all about MY story and MY goals. I soon found out that Leana is a force to be reckoned with, and brings a whirlwind of sparkles, love, and sage advice wherever she goes. We chatted for over an hour that day and, as cliché as it sounds, I felt like I’d known her my entire life.
Fast forward a year and although we don’t see each other very often, Leana has become a very close friend. We share some commonalities in our lives: both of us married very young, we have both made some mortifying mistakes that we now love to laugh about, and we both have been through quite a rollercoaster ride in many ways.
Two things I admire the most about Leana and her husband, Dennis, are (1) their unwavering faith, and (2) their unshakeable zest for life. Again, it sounds cliché, but together they have the strength, courage, and cheerful creativity to make top-shelf lemonade out of the most withered and moldy lemons life could offer.
To be in their presence is to be inspired beyond words. They live the most difficult, incomprehensible life, and yet somehow, THEY have this unique ability to make YOU feel like the most important person in the room. They love connecting with people and, to this day, live their lives rooted in service and faith.
I don’t want to paint an unrealistic, glorious picture of a couple fighting the unimaginable, day in and day out, with smiles on their faces and sparkles in their eyes. That’s obviously not their reality. I can only imagine how tough the tough days are, and, quite honestly, how tough the ‘slightly less tough’ days are. But what I hope I can express is from what I’ve witnessed and that is the fact that, together, Leana and Dennis, despite everything they face, emit a love and joy for life that is palpable. And, in turn, they touch the hearts of everyone around them.
I’m sure Leana will roll her eyes reading this, but I’d encourage you to spend a rainy afternoon reading posts from her first blog, Frolicking to Fifty. You’ll be entertained with hilarious and uplifting stories, you’ll read about their love story, and you’ll also hear the raw honesty about some of the darker moments they’ve faced together.
In writing this blog, I asked Leana if it was OK to share her as my WOW and to highlight her story. Her only request was this: “don’t make me sound angelic. I am not. The only “good” thing I have done was to take a big leap and marry the man I deeply love but who has a frightening, progressively disabling disease.”
So here’s my open note response to that concern:
Dear Leana. I get it. I totally get it. In the relatively brief time I’ve known you, we’ve shared stories of our pasts and things that have happened. We’ve shared our ‘human-ness” and mistakes we’ve made along the way. I know that you are by no means perfect or angelic, and neither am I. None of us are. We all have bad days, dark seasons, and moments that we wish we could take back. What I choose to focus on is you, Leana. The woman I see show up again and again. Not just as a caregiver, but as a wife, deeply in love with her husband, as a mom, a grandma, a friend, a writer, a woman with a heart for hearing and sharing stories of kindness and courage. You, my friend, might not be an angel, but you ARE an absolute gem. x
I could go on and on, but I can literally hear her shouting “THAT’S ENOUGH!” and muttering under her breath, “why did I ever agree to this?! She’s lost her bloody mind!” The fact is, Leana doesn’t really like the spotlight on her. She loves to share stories of others. Her most recent endeavor is to share stories of kindness and courage in her blog Sashaying Through Life.
One of my favorite pieces from Leana’s first blog is about her own rebranding and her approach to life as she’s moved through her fifties.
“My message has always been, find your center (for me that’s my faith), trust your intuition, and then go boldly into your calling. It will all be well.” L.C.
MenoShine is not about ‘women being in their menopause years.’ It’s about women in midlife and beyond finding ways to reinvent themselves, love themselves, shine their lights brighter, take risks, step out of their comfort zones and take life by the horns. It’s about tearing up the script, writing our own rules, and making it our mission to shine.
That is what I see Leana doing and her rebranding article sums it up perfectly (plus, you’ll get to see the video of her ‘sashaying through life’ resulting in a broken wrist). I’d love you to read The Giddylicious Joy of Rebranding and get to know my gorgeous friend.
Leana, thank you for shining your light at full beam and showing me how to move through the ups and downs of life with humility, grace and courage. I am so honored to be your replacement British friend for as long as you’ll have me. x
Leana has been such a huge supporter as I’ve launched MenoShine, encouraging me every step of the way. I’ll leave you with a few words from her:
“The reason I was looking forward to this group, among others, is that, like so many other women, I am navigating menopause at the same time as I am in a season of caregiving for my husband. Others are taking care of elderly parents, challenging teens and other things. It’s like nature is playing one last trick, we need each other!”
If you’ve enjoyed this article and you know someone who you’d like to recognize as a MenoShine WOW, please reach out! I’d love to hear from you and share stories of women who are boldly stepping into their MenoShine Era! And if that someone happens to be YOU, please share! There is absolutely nothing wrong in nominating yourself for a MenoShine WOW. I’d love to cheer you on and highlight your story.
Next week, we’re taking a break, and will be back with a wonderful MenoShine WOW on August 17th.
Until next time, sending sass and sparkles from MenoSHINE, because no one should have to PAUSE.
