Tag: books

My Musical Life 3-23-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Musical LifeLeave a comment

March 23rd, 2026

#75 The Unicorn (The Irish Rovers) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
A long time ago, when the earth was still green
And there were more kinds of animals than you’ve ever seen
They’d run around free while the earth was being born
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn🪄
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn🪄
Now god seen some sinnin’ and it gave him pain
And he says, “stand back, I’m going to make it rain”
He says, “hey, brother Noah, I’ll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo”🪄
And take some of them green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
Don’t you forget my unicorn”🪄
Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started fallin’
He marched in the animals two by two
And he called out as they went through
“Hey, Lord”🪄
I’ve got your green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I’m so forlorn
I just can’t see no unicorn”🪄
Then Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns was hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was pouring
Oh, them silly unicorns🪄
There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, “close the doors ’cause the rain is pourin’
And we just can’t wait for no unicorns”🪄
The ark started movin’, it drifted with the tide
Them unicorns looked up from the rock and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
And that’s why you’ll never see a unicorn, to this very day🪄
You’ll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born
You’re never gonna see no unicorn

My Abundant Life 3-9-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

March 9th, 2026

A Radiant Reflection: Projecting Your Authentic Self

“So many women just don’t know how great they really are. They come to us all vogue outside and vague on the inside.”

Mary Kay Ash (American Businesswoman and Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.; May 12th, 1918 ~ November 22nd, 2001)

“Few women know how great they really are. If truth were told, we’d all probably admit to feeling pretty vague about our personal appearance. Many of us would like to trade ourselves in for a sleeker version.”

“…flip through the catalogs. Cut out the pictures of the women you think are attractive and the clothing you’d love to wear.”

“Always remember that dreams–your creative visualizations–must come before their physical manifestations.”

“Create a collage of your ideal woman: find the perfect hairstyle, put together a fantastic wardrobe for home and work.”

“Since you have embarked on this adventure to awaken your authenticity and discover your own sense of style, be willing not to buy another item of clothing unless you absolutely cannot live without it. No more settling for something that’s not you or that’s second-rate.”

“Let the potent power of simplicity begin to work in your life. If it’s not authentically you, live without it.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather 3-9-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“This such a hard space for me to unfold. I have always been in a financial way that to buy myself anything for my wardrobe never went beyond the next racing t-shirt or sweat pants for my work. I feel like I have no sense of my own style and really don’t even no where to begin. My wardrobe has not evolved in over 20-25 years…UGH! I need to save money and hire a stylist to help me find that part of me.” (Heather Houston 3-9-22)

“I yearn to find my authentic style. One that is fusion for my busy life. I want classy, practical, sporty and elegant…LOL! Sounds like am impossible task. However, as a 2-Spirit woman, I believe I can find what works for me. I am in my birthday month and plan to get at least one item I must have.” (Heather Houston 3-9-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 76-77 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-25-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant Life2 Comments

February 25th, 2026

Reordering Your Priorities

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.”

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (Swiss-American Psychiatrist; July 8th, 1926 ~ August 24th, 2004)

“…the centrifugal forces of today.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American Author and Aviator; June 22nd, 1906 ~ February 7th, 2001)

“I find it helpful to think of priorities as the wooden frame upon which we stretch the canvas of our days so that we may apply color and form to the work of art we are creating without the entire painting collapsing in the middle.”

“Quiet time alone, contemplation, prayer, music, a centering line of thought or reading, of study or work. It can be physical or intellectual or artistic, any creative life proceeding from oneself. It need not be an enormous project or great work. But it should be something of one’s own. Arranging a bowl of lowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day…What matters is that one be for a time inwardly attentive.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (American Author and Aviator; June 22nd, 1906 ~ February 7th, 2001)

“Today make getting in touch with the Silence within yourself your first priority. As you do, you will be amazed at how everything else seems to find its own order.”

My Bucket List

Blackfeet Warrior (Drawing w/Charcoal Powder); By: Jason Tako
Discover the magnificent, turquoise tiered waterfalls of Kuang Si, Laos

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 2-25-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I wasn’t very good at finding the Silence within myself today. Work was very stressful and after a 9-hour shift without a break, I was pooped. TGIF!” (Heather Houston 2-25-22)

“My priority is sustaining a loving and happy marriage with my husband. We create one another each day newly and then live into the day as the best date/party ever. Truly, it is a remarkable life and way to live. I cherish also my inward attentive moments like now when I read and reflect on a daily devotional. Giving back to myself fills my ‘Battery’. Loving my husband is my most beautiful work of art!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 59-60 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-20-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

February 20th, 2026

The Authentic Dig

“Sometimes a person has to go back, really back–to have a sense, an understanding of all that’s gone to make them–before they can go forward.”

Sir Paul Roderick Clucas Marshall (British Investor; August 2nd, 1959 ~ )

“On the authentic dig we shall also go in search of a mosaic: what brought us moments of happiness and contentment.”

“Let your authnetic archaeologist gather artifacts that can coax memory: old photographs, letters, mementos.”

“See what memories are triggered as you reacquaint yourself with the girl and woman you once were. Linger only on the happy times. What you are searching for is a pattern of personal, authentic pleasures and preferences. These are the chips in your mosaic.”

“The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in our significance to ourselves they find their own order…With patience and quiet observation, these events will provide the seeker in you with a ‘continuous thread of revelation.'”

Eudora Welty (American Short Story Writer, Novelist and Photographer; April 13th, 1909 ~ July 23rd, 2001)

My Bucket List

Memories
Great Wall of China

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 2-20-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I think I will start with my year book to try to reconnect with classmates and find high school pictures of myself.” (Heather Houston 2-20-22)

“I have been uncovering my past to see how it lands for me now. I have been intentionally listening to the music and watching films from my birth year 1968. It has been so fun to watch and listen…waiting to see what bubbles up. I realize I have a huge music and film interest genre. I even reeled in my husband to watch a few flicks with me. I love this journey!” (Heather Houston 2-20-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 53-54 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-19-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant Life2 Comments

February 19th, 2026

Rendezvous with the Authentic Archaeologist

“We cannot kindle when we will

The fire that in the heart resides

The spirit bloweth and is still

In mystery our soul abides.”

Matthew Arnold (English Poet and Cultural Critic; December 24th, 1822 ~ April 15th, 1888)

“Like the inner explorer who seekd adventure and the unknown, the authentic archaeologist knows how to unearth remnants of memory buried deeply in the fertile doil of the subconscious mind…The reason we want to awaken the archaeologist is to excavate the real you.”

“How we remember, and what we remember, and why we remember form the most personal map of our individuality.”

Christina Baldwin (Author; April 16th, 1946 ~ )

“Whether you realize it or not, you have lived many lives, and each one has left an indelible mark on your soul. I’m not referring to reincarnation. I’m referring to the episodic way in which our lives evovle: childhood, adolescence, college years or early career, marriages, motherhood…widowhood and onward. At each stage in our lives, we have both laughter and tears. But more important for our interests, we develop personal preferences. Each life experience leaves a layer of memory like a deposit of sdiment: things we’ve loved and moments of contentment we’ve cherished that when recalled, reveal glimmers of our true selves.”

My Bucket List

Unearthing the PAST
The Taj Mahal, India

Before my story began…(Heather Houston 2-19-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“My past is often remembered in struggles and challenges vs. joy. I think the neglect I experienced at a young age scarred me and filtered how I saw the world. It makes me sad to realize this about myself.” (Heather Houston 2-19-22)

“I no longer look to the past hoping it holds reasons to the ‘Why’. Instead, I remember the past as something that no longer exists or defines me. The ‘NOW’ is the only thing that is real. In creating my beingness in the NOW, I soak up all the available joy in my life in each moment.” (Heather Houston 2-19-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 52-53 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-18-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant Life2 Comments

February 18th, 2026

Safari Life

“The heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill.”

William Sharp (known as: Fiona Macleod) (Scottish Writer, of Poetry and Literary Biography; September 12th, 1855 ~ December 12th, 1905)

“You could expect many things of God at night when the campfires burned before the tents….You were alone when you sat and talked with the others—and they were alone. …WHat you say has no ready ear but your own, and what you think is nothing except to yourself. The world is there and you are here—and these are the only poles, the only realities. You talk, but who listens? You listen, but who talks?”

Beryl Markham(English-Born Kenyan Aviator, Adventurer, Racehorse Trainer and Author; October 26th, 1902 ~ August 3rd, 1986)

“A safari of the self and Spirit is at times lonely. But we know we are never alone. It is a comfort to realize that this sense of isolation is necessary if we are to encounter Mystery, and mystery is very much a part of safari. Each day in the wilderness brings with it the struggle to survive and a heightened awareness of how wonderful it is just to see the sun set and rise again in the morning. Each day on safari is lived to the fullest because it is all that is guaranteed.”

“Today, expect many things as you sit around the campfire of your heart. Someone is listening. Someone is talking to you, encouraging you to take the next step as you embrace the Mystery of the wilderness within.”

“Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wonderous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.”

My Bucket List

ABUNDANCE
Easter Island, Chile

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 2-18-26)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“My life has really transformed the last three years. I am the happiest I have ever been, the most confident and living into my authentic self.” (Heather Houston 2-18-22)

“The Mystery of the wilderness within…such a deep concept. The safari dry season I have been navigating within has brough forth the rains again. My mother shared so authentically yesterday it brought tears to my eyes. She contributed profoundly to my life in her sharing. To learn the name of the town my great grandmother lived was a timely and heartfelt sharing. I plan to visit my ancestors homelands and reconnect to my cultural community. I dream of walk the ground of my ancestors and mingling with my people…5-weeks and counting.” (Heather Houston 2-18-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 51-52 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-16-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

February 16th, 2026

At The End of Our Exploring

“We shall not cease exploration

An the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.”

Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (Known as: T.S. Eliot) (Poet, Essayist, Publisher, Playwright, Literary Critic and Editor; September 26th, 1888 ~ January 4th, 1965)

“When we live our lives authentically, we discover our true place in the world for the first time.”

“It takes tenacity and daring to travel to the darkest interior of one’s self. Who knows what we might find there?”

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE FRSL (known as: J. R. R. Tolkien) (English Writer, Poet, Philologist, and Academic; January 3rd, 1892 ~ September 2nd, 1973)

“Our dragons are our fears : our day stalkers, our night sweats. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of starting something new and not finishing. Again. Or the real fear, the one that sends shivers up our spines: the fear of succeeding, of becoming our authentic selves and facing the changes that will inevitably bring. We ight not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it’s daftly familiar.”

“…there is really nothing to fear from self-awareness because at the end of all our personal ecploration, we will arrive back where we started and know in our hearts that we finally belong there.”

Thomas Stearns Eliot OM (Known as: T.S. Eliot) (Poet, Essayist, Publisher, Playwright, Literary Critic and Editor; September 26th, 1888 ~ January 4th, 1965)

“Today, if you feel frightened or unsure about the future, pick up the double-edged sword of Light and Love. Always remember, it’s simple not an adventure worth telling if there aren’t any dragons. But as in the best old tales, at the end of your exploring, you will live happily ever after.”

My Bucket List

Visit Caerlaverock Castle; Scotland
See the King Penguins on Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands

Before my story began…(Heather Houston 2-16-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I drove the MINI Cooper out of the garage tis morning for the first time since I purchased it last night. Wouldn’t you know it, As I pulled out the garage a warning light came on…”Low Tire”. UGH! I got out checked all the tires and they felt just fine. I choose to drive to work and check the pressure and then reset the light. I think during the detailing a setting malfunctioned. This is new for me to not worry myself to death about something minor. YEAH ME!” (Heather Houston 2-16-22)

“

“The dragons that lurk in the shadows of our lives can only be slayed with the double edge sword of love and light. Lately, I have been feeling empty in my job. It is not using my skills and I am surrounded by extremely needy people who suck the energy from people like myself. As an empath, I have to buffer myself from people who are vampires. I need to find something that fulfills my purpose and what gifts I can provide the world. Funny how when we age we must reinvent ourselves.” (Heather Houston 2-16-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 50-51 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 2-7-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

February 7th, 2026

An Artist Is Someone Who Creates

“I have made my world and it is a much better world thLiving is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how…The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.”

Agnes DeMille (American Dancer and Choreographer; September 18th, 1905 ~ October 7th, 1993)

“Every day we’re given chances to embrace the new.”

“…take a risk a day—one small or bold stroke that makes you feel great once you have done it.”

Susan Jeffers (American Psychologist and Author of self-help literature; March 3rd, 1938 ~ October 27th, 2012)

“Today, take a real risk that can change your life: start thinking of yourself as an artist and your life as a work-in-progress. Works-in-progress are never perfect. But changes can be made to the rough draft during rewrites. Another color can be added to the canvas. The film can be tightened during editing. Art evolves. So does life. Art is never stagnant. Neither if life. The beautiful, authentic life you are creating for yourself and those you love is your art. It’s the highest art.”

“Since you are like no other being ever creted since the beginning of time, you are incomparable.”

Brenda Ueland (Journalist, Editor, Freelance Writer, and Teacher of writing; October 24th, 1891 ~ March 5th, 1985)

My Bucket List

Drive the Autoban In Style
Dancing at Carnival in Rio.

“Mondays are always a busy day at work, but I felt proud that I accomplished all my duties. So poopy tired when I returned home today, my partner suggested I take a nap. Late afternoon naps are simply glorious!” (Heather Houston 2-7-22)

“I believe today’s meditation is speaking to the idea of leading a created life. Style is where I struggle with this. I only recently have been in a financial circumstance where I could begin to explore this. I believe exploring how I want to show up for me is most important. Sometimes I feel practical…sometimes I feel androgenous…sometimes I feel delicate…sometimes I feel sexy…sometimes I feel powerful… I wonder what that style looks like? This is the inquiry I am on. Wish me luck!”🍀(Heather Houston 2-7-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 41-42 of 501.

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