My Abundant Life 3-14-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 14th, 2026

Loving Yourself into Wholeness

“I did not lose myself all at once. I rubbed out my face over the years washing away my pain, the same way carvings on stone are worn down by water.”

Amy Ruth Tan (American Author; February 19th, 1952 ~ )

“Life batters us whether we are rich or poor, public or private. The wound we suffer may be an open cut or a slow, silent hemorrhage of the soul. On the outside we may look as if we’ve got our act together, but each of us encounters those dark stormy days when we feel very small, very fragile, and very frightened, as if we might shatter into a thousand pieces and break into heartrending sobs at something as simple as ‘How are you?'”

“When this happens we have to be kind to ourselves, not beat ourselves up. Leave that to the rest of the world. Our feelings are valid, our fears very real, even though they are probably not based on reality. Always remember that the best description of fear is ‘false evidence appearing real.'”

“When these occasions occur in your life, recall that your first duty is to love yourself into Wholeness. How to do this? By pampering yourself with simple pleasures and small indulgences. By treating yourself like the baby you are right now.”

“You don’t have to do everything and be everything for everyone else all the time. If you think you can’t possibly do one more thing without screaming or crying, you.re probably right. Start by saying, ‘no, I’m sorry. I’ve got a prior commitment.'”

“For, of course, you do. Today you need to be there for yourself. Remember, we did not lose ourselves all at once. But we recover our authentic selves one kind gesture at a time.

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-14-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I’ve been blue lately. Missing my kids. Trying to understand why getting a job has been such a nightmare. I just need a break. I need to be kind to myself.” (Heather Houston 3-14-22)

“‘No, I’m sorry, I’ve got a prior commitment’ Is harder to say sometimes. However, learning to put yourself first is how we heal ourselves. This is one of the hardest lessons I have embarked on learning and yet I know it true to my own happiness.” (Heather Houston 3-14-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 80-81 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Storied Life 3-13-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Storied LifeLeave a comment

March 13th, 2026

1968 Top 10 Highest-Grossing & Award Winning Films

  • The Thomas Crown Affair 👍🏼👍🏼
    • 26th Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song: The Windmills of Your Mind
    • 41st Academy Awards Best Original Song: The Windmills of Your Mind

“One of the better Steve McQueen movies. I love that he always incorporates stunts he actually does…the glider flying and dune buggy were great. I loved Faye Dunaway as a strong powerful beautiful woman even when the misogyny in the film was horrendous.”

Daily Gratitude 3-13-26

On By Heather HoustonIn 5 Daily GratitudesLeave a comment

March 13th, 2026

  • “I am grateful for my loving husband to make me a breakfast each workday morning. He is the best!” (Heather Houston 3-13-26)
  • “I am grateful that the snow was not too heavy and the roads are wet and slushy on my commute to work.” (Heather Houston 3-13-26)
  • “I appreciate the office being closed early due to the snowfall.” (Heather Houston 3-13-26)
  • “I am thankful to get the shopping done early for the 1st half of the weekend so we can stay in and out of the snow.” (Heather Houston 3-13-26)
  • “I love and I am thankful for my husbands pasta creations!” (Heather Houston 3-13-26)
  • “I appreciate thank you notes.” (Heather Houston 3-13-22)
  • “I am thankful for popcorn at the movies.” (Heather Houston 3-13-22)
  • “I am grateful for all the camping trips with my children.” (Heather Houston 3-13-22)
  • “I am thankful for a large extended family.” (Heather Houston 3-13-22)
  • “I am grateful to have such loving and accepting aunts and uncles.” (Heather Houston 3-13-22)

My Musical Life 3-13-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Musical LifeLeave a comment

March 13th, 2026

#61 Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
I like to dream, yes, yes
Right between the sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night
Any place it goes is right
Goes far, flies near
To the stars away from here🪄
Well, you don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride🪄
Well, you don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free🪄
Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away🪄
Last night I hold Aladdin’s lamp
And so I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me
Well, someone came and took the lamp away
I looked around, a lousy candle’s all I found🪄
Well, you don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride🪄
Well, you don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free🪄
Close your eyes, girl
Look inside, girl
Let the sound take you away🪄
You don’t know what we can find
Why don’t you come with me, little girl
On a magic carpet ride🪄
Well, you don’t know what we can see
Why don’t you tell your dreams to me
Fantasy will set you free

My Abundant Life 3-13-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 13th, 2026

Accepting Yourself as You Are Today

“Seek not outside yourself, heaven is within.”

Mary Lou Cook (Actress; December 12th, 1908 ~ August 17th, 2008)

“Today, we make peace with the past: with the bodies and faces we were born with and those that have evolved.”

“Here in this body are the sacred rivers: here are the sun and moon as well as all the pilgrimage places…I have not encountered another temple as blissful as my own body.”

Saraha, Sarahapa, Sarahapāda (known as: The First Sahajiya and one of the Mahasiddhas) (Tibetan Poet and Teacher; late 8th century)

“It will take a bit of doing, learning to love all our personal pilgrimage places. However, before genuine love can flourish, we must finally accept ourselves exactly as we are today. Not tomorrow or next week…”

“Remember, acceptance is acknowledging the reality of a situation…Most of us think of other women as beauties, never ourselves. But every woman was created by Spirit to be a genuine beauty. We learn how to reveal to the world our unique radiance only after we acknowledge it ourselves. Today, take your personal mantra: ‘I am what I am and what I am is wonderful.'”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-13-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“It is so funny, yesterday I wrote that I should add a self-love mantra to my meditations and my request was answered with today’s reading. BRILLIANT!” (Heather Houston 3-13-26)

“I stop and pause in the mirror after every shower to marvel at the gift my body is for me…my temple. I am blessed to be almost 58 years old and have more energy and vitality than 20-30s somethings at work. I look much younger than my age. I work alongside a co-worker who is also a 1968 baby and 10-days younger than me. I look like her daughter. My physical fitness and career have kept me vital and energetic. Most of all I have found epic love has shed years from my temple. My husband IS the Fountain of Youth. I have proof as my bio-impedance scale says I am getting younger each year that passes. I love myself and my temple for the first time in my life.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 80 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

Daily Gratitude 3-12-26

On By Heather HoustonIn 5 Daily GratitudesLeave a comment

March 12th, 2026

  • “I am grateful I listened to my body and spirit upon rising at 5:00AM and chose not to row and instead healed my mind with some baking. I made a Chocolate Banana Tahini Bread before work.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
  • “I am blessed to listen to blues tunes and cook in the quiet of the morning.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
  • “I am grateful to get 48 gift bags created for the Social Worker Appreciation Luncheon next week.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
  • “I am blessed to have a sexy clever loving husband.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
  • “I appreciate how our dog, Kiva, curls up in the well of my knees to sleep for the night.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)
  • “I appreciate questions in emails that can be resolved with one sentence.” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)
  • “I appreciate our really comfy couch.” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)
  • “I am grateful for dancing in the kitchen with the love of my life while cooking a new dish for dinner.” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)
  • “I am grateful for paydays.” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)
  • “I am thankful to those individuals who appreciate my writing or pictures.” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)

My Musical Life 3-12-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Musical LifeLeave a comment

March 12th, 2026

#60 Hurdy Gurdy Man (Donovan) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I opened my eyes to take a peek
To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquility🪄
‘Twas then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Came singing songs of love
Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Came singing songs of love🪄
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang🪄
Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity🪄
‘Tis then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Comes singing songs of love
Then when the Hurdy Gurdy Man
Comes singing songs of love🪄
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurd
Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang🪄
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
Here comes the Roly Poly Man
He’s singing songs of love
“Roly poly, roly poly, holy poly poly” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang
“Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy gurdy” he sang

My Abundant Life 3-12-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 12th, 2026

How Do I Look?

“How women look and how their looks change in the course of their lives, is not a frivolous question…’How do I look?’ she asks as her eyes meet the eyes in the mirror. She listens carefully for an answer, because it might prove quite illuminating.”

Kennedy Fraser (American Essayist, and Fashion Writer; 1948 ~ )

“‘How do I look?’ Is a question all of us have spent our lives asking others. But now that you are on a path towards your authenticity you have reached the point when you need to gently ask yourself this loaded question. And, once having asked, you need to listen carefully for the answer. Better yet, when you gaze into the mirror you should ask, ‘How do I feel?’ because how you feel about yourself on any particular day will influence how you look more than what you are wearing.”

“…we need to change our approach to beauty completely. Personal transformation begins with a strong inner life. We need to let Spirit show us the way…Twenty minutes of meditation a day, quiet reflection, or a restorative walk seeking your authentic self will do more for your looks than you will believe.”

“If we go down into ourselves we find that we possess exactly what we desire.”

Simone Adolphine Weil (French Philosopher, Mystic, and Political Activist; February 3rd, 1909 ~ August 24th, 1943)

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-12-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I think my meditation needs to include a mantra of self-love. I often wonder what it would be like to love yourself…love your protein sack…HHHhhhmmmmmm.” (Heather Houston 3-12-26)

“I find my inner beauty routine involves my morning meditation and devotion to my sacredness and the blessing I am. Remembering to judge nothing that occurs and remain in the world of acceptance has really started my days in better peace and tranquility. It quiets the noise so I can start the daily newly without the recording playing in the background.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 79-80 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

Daily Gratitude 3-11-26

On By Heather HoustonIn 5 Daily GratitudesLeave a comment

March 11th, 2026

  • “I am thankful for my defroster working overtime to clear my windshield on such a cold day.” (Heather Houston 3-11-26)
  • “I am thankful I was able to reduce my ‘To Do’ pile in my office to 2-3 papers.” (Heather Houston 3-11-26)
  • “I am blessed to witness some of the first spring flowers…Crocus!” (Heather Houston 3-11-26)
  • “I appreciate the Kava gummy gift for our birthday to relax in a mellow way.” (Heather Houston 3-11-26)
  • “I am grateful for the lovely Poulet au Vinaigre (Chicken with Vinegar) dinner my loving husband crafted.” (Heather Houston 3-11-26)
  • “I appreciate the meditative and slightly obsessive joy from completing a 1000+ puzzle.” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)
  • “I am thankful for having a personal routine that helps me effectively get tasks completed.” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)
  • “I am grateful for surprises.” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)
  • “I appreciate the sincere appreciation of others.” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)
  • “I am grateful for an ice cold beer after a hot day of yardwork. ” (Heather Houston 3-11-22)