Tag: American Writer

My Abundant Life 5-29-26

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May 29th, 2026

Favorite Things: Enjoying Cherished Collections

“Each item in a collection has its own story, its own memory—the search, the day you bought it, who you were with, the vacation…”

Tricia Guild (British Designer; 1946) & Elizabeth Wilhide (Author & Novelist)

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach, One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American Writer & Aviator; June 22nd, 1906 to February 7th, 2001)

“I know that I will be remembered as authentic and love possessed as BEing in my life in every moment allows me to suck every last drop of wonderfulness this life has offered each one of us as a gift. Snatch it and never let go!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 181 to 183 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-22-26

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May 22nd, 2026

The Home of Your Dreams

“If I were to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say; the house shelters daydreaming.”

Gaston Bachelard (French Philosopher; June 27th, 1884 to October 16th, 1962)

“It takes literally years to birth a dream, whether it’s a family, a career, a home, or a lifestyle. Dreams exact a price.”

“Take what you want, say the good God, but be prepared to pay for it.”

ancient proverb

“Dreams cost money, sweat, frustration, tears, courage, choices, perseverance, and extraordinary patience. But birthing a dream requires one more thing. Love. Only love can transform a houseful of needy, self-centered individuals into a loving, close-knit family, a passion into a livelihood, or a mere dwelling into a home that perfectly expresses your authenticity.”

“…it had a heart and soul, and eyes to see with; and approvals and solicitudes and deep sympathies; it was us, and we were in its confidence and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benedictions. We never came home from an absence that its face did not light up and speak out in eloquent welcome—and we could not enter it unmoved.”

Samuel Clemens “Mark Twain” (American Writer & Humorist; November 20th, 1885 to April 21st, 1910)

I dwell in possibility.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet; December 10th, 1830 to May 15th, 1886)

“No matter where I have dwelled, I have taken pride in making it a sanctuary and home haven to gently hug the one inside with love, warmth a coziness.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 170 to 171 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-19-26

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May 19th, 2026

Order Within

“What a gift of grace to be able to take the chaos from within and from it create some semblance of order.”

Katherine Peterson (American Writer; October 31st, 1932)

“Spring cleaning can also be psychological, a time-out to confront the emotional clutter that has accumulated in your mental closet. It’s a pause for introspection—a midcourse correction for ordinary people in ordinarily stressful lives.”

Abigail Trafford (Journalist)

“One way to begin seeking order within is to come to grips with what drives you crazy but what you’ve been too distracted to do anything about.”

“There is a better way to live. It begins when we establish order within so that order will become a visible reality in our daily round. Start seeking order within by book-ending your day with reflection first thing in the morning and last thing at night. This quietude will remind you that you can make the choice every morning to live in the world but not be caught up in the frenzy of it, especially a frenzy of your own devising.”

“Quiet your mind, lift up your heart, muse, mull over, make discoveries. Consider, conceive, create, connect, concede that it all starts within.”

“Think about the day ahead and how it might unfold more smoothly. Invoke Divine Order, asking Spirit to take charge of your life today and every day. Visualize yourself at the end of a happy, stress-free, productive day, relaxing and enjoying the well-deserved leisure of the evening.”

“Book-ending your day by nurturing your Spirit means rousing your body earlier when you’re so exhausted from yesterday that you can barely crawl out of bed, or spending an extra moment with yourself at night when you’re ready to fall asleep like a stone.”

“Today, seek order within, so that Divine Order may be manifest outwardly in your daily round.”

“Today will be reviewing what I need and want in my life. My homework with my therapist was to create a list of 5 each. WOW, much harder than I expected.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 166 to 167 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-28-26

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April 28th, 2026

The Intuitive Sense

“Intuition is a spiritual faculty, and does not explain, but simply points the way.”

Florence Scovel Shinn (American Artist & Book Illustrator; September 24th, 1871 to October 17th, 1940)

“Intuition has been called our ‘sixth sense’ and is often an ability ascribed to women.”

…believed that the intelligence that “arises out of sex and beauty is intuition.”

D. H. Lawrence (English Novelist & Short Story Writer; September 11th, 1885 to March 2nd, 1930)

…feminine intuition was a result of our “age-long training in human relations.”

Margaret Mead (American Cultural Anthropologist and Author; December 16th, 1901 to November 15th, 1978)

“Intuition is the subliminal sense Spirit endowed us with to maneuver safely through the maze that is real life. Wild animals rely on their intuition to stay alive; we should reply on ours to thrive.”

“It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct then your life will be safe, expedient and thin.”

Katharine Butler Hathaway (American Writer; 1890 to 1942)

“One such intuitive signal is the emotional trembling that accompanies creative discovery or warns us not to take an action. Another intuitive message breaks through when we suddenly grasp that to try something new might be delightful; we do so and are surprised by joy. A third intuitive nudge occurs through revelational the inner knowing that helps us arrive at the right place at the right time so that we can be swept away by the benevolent flow of synchronicity that gets us where we’re meant to be as easily as the Universe can arrange it.”

“…one in whom persuasion and belief/Had ripened into faith, and faith become/A passionate intuition.”

William Wordsworth (English Poet; April 7th 1770 to April 23rd, 1850)

“I have always had a strong intuitive sense of my experience of the world. It has served me well and I trust it. Combined with my synesthesia, I feel bolstered by my intuition in understanding and navigating my world.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 135 to 136 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-23-26

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April 23rd, 2026

The Scent of a Woman

“For the sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories and it’s a pity that we use it so little.”

Rachel Carson (American Marine Biologist and Writer; May 27th, 1907 to April 14th, 1964)

“Smells spur memories, but they also rouse our dozy senses, pamper and indulge us, help define our self-image, stir the cauldron of our seductiveness, warn us of danger, lead us into temptation, fan our religious fervor, accompany us to heaven, wed us to fashion, steep us in luxury…”

Diane Ackerman (American Poet and Essayist; October 7th, 1948)

“I am playing with scent. The other day I work my husbands cologne as I think it smells delicious. Amazingly, with my chemistry, I didn’t prefer it on me. However, when combined with my husbands natural occurring scent, it is remarkable!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 128 to 129 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-19-26

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April 19th, 2026

Spring Rituals of Replenishment

“Let your mind be quiet, realizing the beauty of the world, and the immense, the boundless treasures that it holds in store.

All that you have within you, all that your heart desires, all that your nature so specially fits for–that or the counterpart of it waits embedded in the great Whole, for you. It will surely come to you.

Yet equally surely not one moment before its appointed time will it come. All your crying and fever and reaching out of hands will make no difference.

Therefore do not begin that game at all.”

Edward Carpenter (English Poet and Philosopher; August 29th, 1844 to June 28th, 1929)

“Sacred space and sacred time and something joyous to do is all we need. Almost anything then becomes a continuous and increasing joy.”

Joseph Campbell (American Writer; March 26th, 1904 to October 30th, 1987)

“I have learned to trust the flow of the Universe and ‘IT’ will unfold when it does at the perfect time and better than you could ever had expected or predicted.“

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 124 to 125 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-17-26

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April 17th, 2026

Making Peace with Your Hair

“Genius is of small use to a woman who does not know how to do her hair.”

Edith Wharton (American Writer and Designer; January 24th, 1862 to August 11th, 1937)

“Hair is a living, powerful, mercurial, metaphysical energy force to be respected, reckoned with, and reconciled to, but it cannot be controlled any more than atomic fusion.”

“Hair humbles us, and we need to make peace with it.”

“Growing up, I was obliged to have a short cut as I was told it was easier to keep up, etc. I hated my short hair. I understand better now as I embrace my cultural roots. Hair is sacred and a reflection of the sweet grass on Mother earth. My hair is a gift and I enjoy playing with it, untangling it and wrestling with it in the wind. I feel blessed to have fine dark hair which is an expression of my authentic self. With wedding #3 approaching, I believe wedding braids might be in order soon.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 120 to 123 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-3-26

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April 3rd, 2026

Secret Lives: Gleaning Tips from Our Imaginary Selves

“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where you renew your springs that never dry up.”

Pearl S. Buck (American Writer and Novelist; June 26th, 1892 ~ March 6th, 1973)

“Each of us leads many lives vicariously and often simultaneously. By acknowledging our secret lives and tapping into the wisdom of our imaginary alter egos, we can glean tips to help us develop our own personal sense of style.”

“Now write down who you’d be if not you. Now write down your secret selves.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 4-3-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower
  • Singer (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • Writer (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • Musician (Heather Houston 4-3-22)
  • Own a pair of snappy cowboy boots (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • Build a daily medicine bag and learn native medicinal healing (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • Get or have made a cool signature hat (Heather Houston 4-3-26)
  • Make some moccasins (Heather Houston 4-3-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 105-106 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 3-19-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 19th, 2026

Repose of the Soul

“Repose is a quality too many undervalue. …In the clamor one is irresistibly drawn to the woman who sits gracefully relaxed, who keeps her hands still, talks in a low voice and listens with responsive eyes and smiles. She creates a spell around her, charming to the ear, the eye and the mind.”

Good Housekeeping (November 1947)

“We have all met her, that special woman who draws you into her orb with a radiant smile. Her eyes light up as you tell her how you’ve been. She attracts men, women, children, and animals, for her complete attention is soothing and hypnotic. When you walk away from her you feel as if you have been bathed in a beautiful warm light.”

“You have. It’s called Love, and this ancient beauty secret is available to all of us. When we are genuinely interested in others, a graciousness comes over us that is compelling.

“She did not talk to people as if they were strange hard shells she had to crack open to get inside. She talked as if she were already in the shell. In their very shell.”

Marita Bonner (known as: Marieta Bonner) (American Writer, Essayist, and Playwright; June 16th, 1899 ~ December 6th, 1971)

“Would that each of us were such a woman. Would that each of us could become one. We can. …by taking the time to step outside our own sphere to embrace others, we open ourselves up to the power of Spirit. We are suddenly lit up from inside, and this illumination can transform our looks more effectively than any fancy salon beauty makeover.”

Today, as as if you are a woman with repose of the soul. Greet everyone you meet with a warm smile. …don’t rush your encounters. Speak softly. Listen attentively. Act as if every conversation you have is the most important thing on your mind today. Look…your partner in the eyes when they talk to you. …caress the dog. Lavish love on every living being you meet. See how different you feel at the end of the day.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-19-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I see parts of me in this charismatic space from time to time. I am already very warm and approachable, which lends itself to this space with others. I think I miss it sometimes as I am oblivious. I need to be more intentional about how I engage with others.” (Heather Houston 3-19-22)

“Repose of the soul is what my husband reminds me of everyday. He says I am a sexy hot fun chic and completely irresistible when I don’t hide. I have spent most of my life hiding behind not being lovable or worthy. No longer. UNLEASH THE SNOW LEOPARD!” (Heather Houston 3-19-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 85-86 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 3-16-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 16th, 2026

What Do You Like about Yourself?

“If you want to find the answers to the Big Questions about your soul, you’d best begin with the Little Answers about your body.”

George A. Sheehan (Physician, Senior Athlete and Author; November 5th, 1918 ~ November 1st, 1993)

“Like all of us, you see yourself in the mirror every day. But when was the last time you nodded your head in approval at what you saw? Today, I’d like to ask you to try something radically different: look at yourself lovingly and begin to appreciate what you see.”

“This exercise is more than just skin deep because I want you to take an inventory of what you like about yourself. Most of us are very quick to criticize ourselves. We’re always finding things wrong with the way we look. Today we’re going to discover and give thanks for what pleases us.”

“Tonight, set aside an hour to celebrate how marvelous you really are. …Ask your authentic self to bring to your conscious mind all the special things you should discover tonight. …In your most nurturing voice, tell yourself aloud how wonderful you are. …take a compassionate look at yourself in the mirror. Continue to gaze approvingly into the mirror until you find ten things that you absolutely love about your face and your body…Write all ten down in your gratitude journal. Now think about aspects of your personality that you like. …Write it all down. Do not stop until you have at least ten things about your personality for which to be grateful. Now record them all in your gratitude journal.

“And if you think you can’t find twenty things to love about yourself, go back to the mirror. Do this exercise every day until you can. …Today, be willing to search genuinely for your glorious possibilities and rejoice in your divine authenticity.

“Nature never repeats herself and the possibilities of one human soul will never be found in another.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (American Writer and Activist who was a leader of the women’s rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century; November 12th, 1815 ~ October 26th, 1902)

“Before my story began…” (Heather 3-16-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

Ten Things I like About My Body: (Heather Houston 3-16-22)

  1. I love my blue eyes.
  2. I love that I have actual free hanging ear lobes.
  3. I love my hair color when it is dyed black and blue.
  4. I love my hands and fingers.
  5. I love my breasts…Epic!
  6. I love my nipples…Brilliant!
  7. I love my belly button.
  8. I love the ratio of my labia majora to labia minor…Perfection!
  9. I love my ass.
  10. I love my feet.
  11. I love the silky soft soles of my feet…no hard callouses.

Ten Things I like About My Personality: y: (Heather Houston 3-16-22)

  1. I love my sense of humor.
  2. I love that I am kind.
  3. I love that I am generous.
  4. I love that I am thoughtful.
  5. I love that I am integral.
  6. I love that I am intelligent.
  7. I love my appreciation for all music.
  8. I love that I feel fulfillment from being of service to others.
  9. I love that I am loving.
  10. I love that I am logical.
  11. I love that I am warm and approachable to others.

I read the above list and still feel the same about what I love about my physical body and my personality. (Heather Houston 3-16-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 82-83 of 501.

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