Tag: Body Mind & Spirit

My Abundant Life 7-9-26

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July 9th, 2026

Nursery Fare For Children of All Ages

“Animal crackers, and cocoa to drink,

That is the finest of suppers, I think;

When I’m grown up and can have what I please

I think I shall always insist upon these.”

Christopher Morley (American Journalist & Novelist; May 5th, 1890 to March 28th, 1957)

“When you’re cranky and cry easily, when you are so tired that your eyes burn from keeping them open, when you need hugs and someone to pat the top of your head and whisper ‘Shh… There, there…’ and no one is around, you need nursery fare. Nursery foods are the well-loved recipes from childhood that conjure up the happy, innocent moments when all was right with the world because we knew our place in it. The times when, dressed in our flannel pajamas, we sat down for supper before a story and bed…”

“I often wonder how I didn’t become 300# with the neglect was worse as food was soothing. Likely because food was scarce I could rely on that for all my needs.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 249 to 251 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-8-26

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July 8th, 2026

In Search of Soul Food

“Soul food is just what the name implies. It is soulfully cooked food or richly flavored food, good for your ever-loving soul.”

Sheila Ferguson (American Singer & Songwriter; October 8th, 1947)

“In 1900, a Kentucky mountain woman walked fifty miles to seek a place for her granddaughter at Berea College high school. ‘Hit’s a lot worse to be soul-hungry than to be body-hungry.’ she explained.”

“…a legacy clearly steeped in tradition; a way of life that has been handed down from generation to generation.”

Sheila Ferguson (American Singer & Songwriter; October 8th, 1947)

“And while the expression ‘soul food’ is usually used to describe traditional African-American cooking, this emotionally evocative cuisine is color-blind. Real soul food only knows the borders of the heart. Soul food is universal culinary memories, stories, and recipes.”

“When preparing soul food, we can’t cook by the book but rather by instinct, by using our senses.”

“You taste, rather than measure, the seasoning you treasure; and you use your eyes, not a clock to judge when that cherry pie has bubbled sweet and nice. These skills are hard to teach quickly. They must be felt… and come straight from the heart and soul.”

Sheila Ferguson (American Singer & Songwriter; October 8th, 1947)

“This summer, collect soulful recipes, or have someone you love but don’t see very often cook for you. Better still, try taking a personal cooking lesson. You might think you know to make jam cake with caramel icing, but do you?”

“Cooking is the center of our home…as the sous chef, I am so proud to be a part of my husband’s creations. Pure ART!“

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 248 to 249 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-7-26

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July 7th, 2026

Cooking For Comfort

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so entwined that we cannot think of one without the other.”

M. F. K. Fisher (American Food Journalist; July 3rd, 1908 to June 22nd, 1992)

“Comfort food: quirky, quaint, quixotic. Personal patterns of consolation, encoded on our taste buds past all forgetting as unmistakable as greasy fingerprints. When the miseries strike and you’re down in the dumps, food transformed by love and memory become therapy.”

“Pleasure can be bought, but comfort must be given. Even if you give it to yourself.”

“Consider this: certain delicious foods—carbohydrates–make us feel calm and content because they literally change our brain chemistry by increasing the levels of serotonin, the natural feel-good enzyme recently celebrated on the cover of news magazines. In other words, pasta and potatoes are Mother Nature’s Prozac. Are your starting to feel better already?”

“Since we’re forced to nourish ourselves, why not do it with all possible skill… and ever-increasing enjoyment, And when we sit down not only to eat, but to be cheered and comforted, let us do so with grace and gusto and a grateful heart.”

M. F. K. Fisher (American Food Journalist; July 3rd, 1908 to June 22nd, 1992)

“Every meal is a gift of love and an exploration of a possibility. Our meals are a chance to travel the world via our cuisine.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 247 to 248 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-6-26

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July 6th, 2026

The Good Life

“The one fact that I would cry from every housetop is this: the Good Life is waiting for us—here and now.”

B. F. Skinner (American Psychologist; March 20th, 1904 to August 18th, 1990)

“Helen shared in her moving memoir, Loving and Leaving the Good Life:

  • “Do the best you can, whatever arises.
  • Be at peace with yourself.
  • Find a job you enjoy.
  • Live in simple conditions; housing, food, clothing; get rid of clutter.
  • Contact nature every day; feel the earth under your feet.
  • Take physical exercise through hard work, through gardening or walking.
  • Don’t worry; live one day at a time.
  • Share something every day with someone else; if you live alone, write someone; give something away; help someone else somehow.
  • Take time to wonder at life and the world; see some humor in life where you can.
  • Observe the one life in all things.
  • Be kind to the creatures.”

“All good tenants to live by for a life full of happiness and gratitude!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 245 to 246 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-5-26

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July 5th, 2026

Cooking Companions

“No one who cooks cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.”

Laurie Colwin (American Writer; June 14th, 1944 to October 24th, 1992)

“I know that young children will wander away from the table, and that family life will never smooth, and that life itself is full…not only of charm and warmth and comfort but of sorrow and tears. But whether we are happy or sad, we must be fed.”

Laurie Colwin (American Writer; June 14th, 1944 to October 24th, 1992)

“Convincing my husband he is a chef has transformed his cooking to epic levels!

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 243 to 245 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-4-26

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July 4th, 2026

Getting Real and Personal in the Pursuit of Happiness

“Expect nothing; live frugally on surprise.”

Alice Walker (American Novelist & Short Story Writer; February 9th, 1944)

“William James was also an eloquent and persuasive champion of a philosophical school of thought known as Pragmatism. He argued that the world already exists when we are born, and we have to accept it as it is. But our ability to create our own inner reality can determine if we view the Universe as friendly or hostile.”

“Be willing to have it so… Acceptance of what has happened is the first step in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”

William James (American Philosopher & Psychologist; January 11th, 1842 to August 26th, 1910)

“Being a pragmatist, Dr. James believed that personal happiness hinges on a practicality: if your reality lives up to your expectations, you’re happy. If it doesn’t, you’re depressed.”

“Do we consciously and continually strive for more accomplishments and accumulations? Or do we lower our expectations, live with what we have, and learn to be content?”

“Many of us mistakenly think that lowering our expectations means we must surrender our dreams.”

“Absolutely not. Dreams and expectations are two very different things. Dreams call for a leap of faith, trusting, that Spirit is holding the net, so that you can continue in the re-creation of the world with your energy, soul gifts, and vision. Expectations are the emotional investment the ego makes in a particular outcome: what needs to happen to make that dream come true. The ego’s expectations are never vague: Oscars, magazine covers, the New York Times best-seller list. Your dreams must manifest exactly as the ego imagines or someone isn’t going to be very happy. And guess who that is? The ego! Since none of us can always predict either the future or the best outcome for our authentic path, this kind of thinking is self-destructive. Because if we don’t live up to the ego’s expectations, we’ve failed again. And at some point we really do give up.”

“The passionate pursuit of dreams sets your soul soaring; expectations that measure the dream’s success tie stones around your soul. I don’t think we should just lower our expectations; I believe if we truly want to live a joyous and adventurous life, we should relinquish them.”

“Living your life as a dreamer and not as an ‘expector’ is a personal declaration of independence. You’re able to pursue happiness more directly when you don’t get caught up in the delivery details. Dreaming, not expecting, allows Spirit to step in and surprise you with connection, completion, consummation, celebration. You dream. Show up for work, Then let Spirit deliver your dreams to the world.”

“When once a decision is reached and execution is the order of the day, dismiss absolutely all responsibility and care about the outcome.”

William James (American Philosopher & Psychologist; January 11th, 1842 to August 26th, 1910)

“I don’t think any of our dreams begin to come close to the dreams Spirit has waiting with our names on them. I also believe we’ll only find out once we start investing our emotions in authentic expression, and not in spefici outcomes.”

“I say let the flow carry you on your life journey…PLUG IN!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 241 to 243 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-3-26

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July 3rd, 2026

The Hungry Soul

“I cannot count the good people I know who to my mind would be even better if they bent their spirits to the study of their own hungers.”

M. F. K. Fisher (American Food Journalist; July 3rd, 1908 to June 22nd, 1992)

“Many of us constantly hold ourselves in check–about food, relationships, careers–stuffing our desires down deep into the self, as if sheer determination can keep the lid on the longing. But I am gradually coming to an awareness that hunger is holy. We’re meant to be hungry every day and to satisfy that hunger every day. Why else would the first petition in the Lord’s Prayer be for daily bread, even before divine assistance?”

“Our souls know many different kinds of hunger: physical, psychic, emotional, creative, and spiritual.”

“When I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and the warmth and the love of it. …And then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.”

M. F. K. Fisher (American Food Journalist; July 3rd, 1908 to June 22nd, 1992)

“Love. Hunger. Appetite. Desire. Holiness. Wholeness. It is all One.”

“Satisfying the hunger everyday is the JUICE! Living each day as the best party ever!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 240 to 241 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-2-26

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July 2nd, 2026

The Simplest of Pleasure: One Good Thing That Is

“Redeem

The time. Redeem

The unread vision in the highest dream…”

T. S. Eliot (Poet & Essayist; September 26th, 1888 to January 4th, 1965)

“Some days are shaped by simple pleasures, others are redeemed by them.”

“An Irish proverb tells us ‘Better one good thing that is, rather than two good things that were, or three good things that might never come to pass.’ Today there was no need to glance wistfully at the past or project anxiously into the future because the present was fully lived and simply abundant. Today was rich with one good thing after another until it literally overflowed with pleasure.”

“i know the Lord will help–but help me Lord, until You help.”

Hasidic Prayer

“The reality was that the day would be as hard as I made it. Or as pleasant. There was nothing I could do about my circumstances but accept them. ‘It’s always my choice,’ I reminded myself. Not necessarily to like whatever life throws me, but to try to catch the ball. After all, success in life is not how well we execute Plan A; it’s how smoothly we cope with Plan B. And for most of us, that’s 99 percent of the time.”

“I considered Plan B: redeem the day with simple pleasures, some good things to look forward to. At first, learning to smoothly shift gears to plan B takes some attitude adjustment, but, like driving a car, it becomes an automatic reflex with practice.”

“The day stretched before mee–not as I had hoped. But not, thank heaven, beyond redemption.”

“Chocolate vanilla choose. I choose my life as it unfolds to be thankful and in gratitude to the journey as a whole vs. as bunch of one-offs.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 239 to 240 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-1-26

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July 1st, 2026

“Lovely July… with the evocative murmur of honey bees on the wing and the smell of sun tan cream.”

Cynthia Wickham (Author)

Constant Craving

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

St. Paul (Apostle)

“In my twenties, I thought fame would do it. In my thirties, I became convinced that a comma in my checking account balance was the answer. Now that I’m in my forties, I know that all my seeking can be summed up in one word: contentment.”

“Please let me never forget how rich my wonderful life is right at this moment. Please let me never forget that all I have is all I need. Please let me never forget to give thanks.”

“I am so thankful for the last eight years as I am living an abundant life with love, joy, freedom and peace.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 237 to 239 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 6-30-26

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June 30th, 2026

Being There: Lessons from the Garden

“All you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within, and you will surely find it.”

Eileen Caddy (British Teacher; August 26th, 1917 to December 13th, 2006)

“Expect your every need to be met, expect the answer to every problem, expect abundance on every level, expect to grow spiritually.”

Eileen Caddy (British Teacher; August 26th, 1917 to December 13th, 2006)

“Whatever you sow, you will reap. …If I sow only positive seeds in my subconscious–thoughts of plenty and not lack–abundance will sprout in the garden.”

“If my harvest is to be a simply abundant lifestyle rooted not in the world but in the Spirit, I must be patient.”

“You are not living by human laws but by divine laws, …Expect miracles and see them take place. Hold ever before you the thought of prosperity and abundance, and know that doing so sets in motion forces that will bring in into being.”

Eileen Caddy (British Teacher; August 26th, 1917 to December 13th, 2006)

“Intentionally living in the possibility of abundance creates abundance. I am a perfect example.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 232 to 236 of 501.

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