Tag: Faith

My Abundant Life 7-17-26

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July 17th, 2026

Loaves and Fishes, Part I

“We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.”

Matthew 14:17

“When we don’t get it, it’s usually because we can’t interpret the outward experience as it is relayed over the interior intercom. We can’t process it in our souls. What’s really happening in our outward lives is somehow taking place in a foreign language that we don’t understand. So we either assume that the outward manifestation is reality (which it isn’t necessarily), or we keep having to repeat the experience until it starts to make sense–rather like learning a foreign language by total immersion.”

“It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another–it’s one damn thing over and over.”

Edna St. Vincent (American Poet & Playwright; February 22nd, 1892 to October 19th, 1950)

“But speaking in tongues is a gift of Spirit. The language of the heart is longing; the language of the mind is rationalizing, the language of emotions is feeling. Spirit speaks them all. Today I would love for all of us to get it at last: not to focus on what we don’t have, but to be grateful for what we do. For us to accept, give thanks, bless, and share. For us not to hoard or hold back for fear that there won’t be enough. Because Spirit lacks for nothing.”

“As long as you have a few loaves and fishes, and know what to do with them, all you have is all you need.”

“I have spoken in tongues during moments of true elation. As someone with synesthesia, I interpret the world through color via emotions and authentic expression by myself and others. Blue is my favorite flavor of color, so if you occur blue to me, you are golden! Secret: My now husband appeared to me with blue aura the very first day we met. It was meant to be!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 261 to 263 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-16-26

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July 16th, 2026

A Seasonal Feast: The Joy of Anticipation

“Why is any day better than another, when all the daylight in the year is from the sun?

By the Lord’s decision they were distinguished, and he appointed the different seasons and feasts;

some of them he exalted and hallowed, and some of them he made ordinary days.”

Ecclesiasticus (also called Sirach) 33:7-9

“The joy of seasonal cooking is the simplest of pleasures, but one of the most overlooked. It brings harmony and rhythm to our days, demonstrating with gentle wisdom that simplicity and abundance are soul mates. The joy of seasonal foods transforms even the ordinary days at the table into hallowed moments, calling to mind the Book of Proverbs’ wisdom that ‘the cheerful heart has a continual feast.'”

“Summer is when Mother Nature shows off, proving that the Universe is not stingy. Gardens and farmers’ markets now overflow with the goodness of the earth. Now, while the summer is offering bountiful home economic lessons, is the perfect time to reconsider how you cook throughout the year.”

“‘There is no season such delight can bring,’ the English Poet William Browne believed, ‘as summer, autumn, winter and the spring.’ The simply abundant joy of seasonal foods will convince you that life can be a continual feast at Mother Nature’s table.”

“I know that I am happier now than I have ever been. With that happiness comes much laughter. My cheerful home creates a feast for my enjoyment. Truly extraordinary!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 260 to 261 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 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.

My Abundant Life 6-29-26

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June 29th, 2026

Pruning Back, Plowing Ahead

“My soul is a broken field, plowed by pain.”

Sara Teasdale (American Poet; August 8th, 1884 to January 29th, 1933)

“Suddenly, inexplicably, life accidents strike without warning.”

“If life accidents of this kind seem particularly cruel, it’s because they are–prima facie evidence of fate’s maliciousness. More often than any of us would like to admit, life has a way of hitting us where it hurts most.”

“‘To paraphrase John Lennon,’ says Sheehy, ‘life’s accidents are what happen to us while we are making ither plans.'”

“Unfortunately, Sheehy discovered in the course of writing her books, ‘Most people do not negotiate either predictable passages, especially the later ones, or life’s accidents successfully.’ However, those individuals who will themselves to benefit from adversity becomes what Sheehy calls ‘pathfinders’: real-life champions who, ‘by refusing to go under in the onslaught of a life accident,’ emerge victorious.”

“Life accidents prune us back. Our souls become broken fields, plowed by pain.”

“Plants know you are there, and when you approach them knife in hand, they utter tiny shrieks; on the other hand, if you talk to them kindly or pray over them, they reward you with better than average growth.”

Eleanor Perenyi (Gardener & Author; January 4th, 1918 to May 3rd, 2009)

“Pain prunes the unessential emotions, ambitions, and illusions, teaching us the lessons we either consciously or unconsciously refuse to be taught by joy. Pain prunes the insignificant details that distracts us from what is really important, sapping our days, energies, and spirits.”

“Male no mistake, I think pain is a wretched gardener. Her cuts stun and sting, But after pruning, preferably voluntary, we’re able to discern what’s real, what important, and what’s essential for our happiness.”

“Be of good cheer. Study your plants and study your lifestyle. When the right time arrives, go into the garden with sharp shears. Speak kindly. Pray softly. Prune back. Now plow ahead.”

“My pruning recently occurred with my atraumatic splenic event in early June. To take inventory and cut back anything that was not serving me in the new spring. We all have 100% of our lives left and as such to continue to bloom and grow a bit of pruning can give space to fill in with new foliage in ways I never expected. The act of discarding the old and inviting in the new possibilities is the growth of one’s flowering.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 229 to 232 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 6-28-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 28th, 2026

Repotting: Giving Roots and Yourself Room To Grow

“Little flower–but if I could understand

What you are, root and all, and all in all

I should know what God and [woman] is.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson (Poet & Former Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom; August 6th, 1809 to October 6th, 1892)

“I don’t know when I myself am too pot-bound, …Lacking courage to be replanted, to take the shock of the new soil, to feel into the unknown and take root in it.”

Gunilla Norris (Author; March 1939)

“We, too, need to consider repotting for growth. But when? When we wilt even before the day begins. When we can’t seem to visualize or dream. When we can’t remember the last time we laughed. When we have absolutely nothing in the next twenty-four hours to look forward to. When this happens, week in, week out, we need to realize that we’re pot-bound. We need to gently loosen the soil around our souls, find something that sparks our imagination, quickens our pulse, brings a smile or a giddy lilt to our conversations.”

“As I work with my plants, I see that the roots are just stunted. Gently, with my fingers, I untangle them. Leaf, Stem, Root. Mind. Body. Soul. Three in one. Spirit’s seamless thread of mystery. I have often thought that if I could just discover where one strand left off and another began, I could understand it all. As it is, I understand little, yet somehow I know.”

“Speak to Him thou for He hears. …Spirit with Spirit can meet–closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson (Poet & Former Member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom; August 6th, 1809 to October 6th, 1892)

“Root and bud bear silent witness to the restoration.”

“My second half of my life has been a sort of repotting. My roots became blunted and needed new soil and a more expansive setting to allow me to thrive and grow. I am forever thankful for the garden my love, Neil has planted me in and nurtured me with the sun of his love.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 229 to 231 of 501.

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

My Musical Life 6-27-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Musical LifeLeave a comment

June 27th, 2026

#96 Laughing (The Guess Who) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
I should laugh, but I cry
Because your love has passed me by
You took me by surprise
You didn’t realize but I was waiting🪄
Time goes slowly, but carries on
And now the best years have come and gone
You took me by surprise
I didn’t realize that you were laughing🪄
’cause you’re doin’ it to me
(Laughing) it ain’t the way it should be
You took away everything I had, you put the hurt on me🪄
’cause you’re doin’ it to me
(Laughing) it ain’t the way it should be
You took away everything I had, you put the hurt on me🪄
I go alone now, calling your name
After losing at the game
You took me by surprise
I didn’t realize that you were laughing🪄
Time goes slowly, but carries on
And now the best years
The best years have come and gone
You took me by surprise
I didn’t realize that you were laughing🪄
’cause you’re doin’ it to me
(Laughing) it ain’t the way it should be
You took away everything I had, you put the hurt on me🪄
’cause you’re doin’ it to me
(Laughing) oh, what you doing to me?
You took away everything I had, you put the hurt on me, oh🪄
ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
(Laughing) ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
(Laughing) were you laughing at me?
(Laughing) were you laughing at me?🪄
oh, what you’re doin’ to me, girl?
(Laughing) I’m-a looking, you’re laughing
(Laughing) I’m-a looking, you’re laughing
(Laughing) you’re looking, I’m laughing
(Laughing)

My Abundant Life 6-19-26

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June 19th, 2026

Onward and Upward in the Garden

“Gardening is an instrument of grace.”

May Sarton (Belgian-American Novelist & Poet; May 3rd, 1912 to July 16th, 1995)

“To my mind, there are two types of lady gardeners. There are those extraordinary women who not only know every flower, but know every flower by its Latin name. These women look as beautiful as the flora they nurture, gardening in wide-brimmed straw hats and pearls, trailing chiffon, and wearing Ferragamo shoes. They keep meticulous gardening journals, plt plant placements on graph paper, and never break into a sweat when wielding a trowel and a spade. Katherine White belonged to this gardening genius.”

“‘Grunge’ accurately describes the other group. We are always hot, smelly, and sweaty in the garden, boasting not so much a green thumb as dirty fingernails because we forgot where we put our gardening gloves. We speak of ‘that little yellow flower’ and point.”

“Gardening has become an unexpected instrument of grace, for I’ve discovered hours of inner peace on my knees, digging in the dirt. Here is the one place I don’t think about work or worry about whatever it is that I can’t control. The complete absorption, the sacrament of the present moment I experience when planting or weeding brings exquisite contentment. My mind is stilled and my heart expands. Now I know why the Great Creator intended for women to flourish in a garden. So much for second-guessing the wisdom of Spirit.”

“I miss having a garden. It is something that brings me peace and contentment.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 217 to 218 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 3-24-26

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March 24th, 2026

The Secret Saboteur: When You’re Feeling Blue

“Listening to your heart is not simple. Finding out who you are is not simple. It takes a lot of hard work and courage to get to know who you are and what you want.”

Sue Bender (Author; Unknown)

“When the dark days come, we need to remember that even if a secret saboteur–depression–is at work temporarily derailing our progress (or so it seems), each day offers us a gift if we will only look for it.”

“All the best transformations are accompanied by pain. That’s the point of them.”

Fay Weldon CBE, FRSL (English Author, Essayist and Playwright; September 22nd, 1931 ~ )

“Personal growth also comes in spasms: three steps forward, two steps back, and then a long plateau when it seems as though nothing happening. But it’s important to realize that this dormant period always seems to precede a growth spurt. Unfortunately, during the dormant period we vey often become depressed and decide to give up.”

“When dark clouds hover, what should you do besides holding on and riding out the storm? You have two choices. One is simply to give in, stop resisting. You’ve got the blues, so sing them, baby. But before you do, ask for grace. Then have a good cry.”

“Dark days come to all of us. Yet discouraging days bring with them golden opportunities when we can learn to be kind to ourselves. Believe it or not, today offers you a hidden gift, if you are willing to search for it.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-24-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“When those dark days come, I often need an out loud crying moment. Then I need to seek out my partner to share. Usually if I speak my pain, within 24-hours, I am recharged to fight again.” (Heather Houston 3-24-22)

“Somedays feel like 3-steps forward and 2-steps back, and the truth it to stay the course and leave expectations sidelined. Committing to the process and BEing with the feels and occurrences as they unfold. I am here in the NOW and there is no other place to be.” (Heather Houston 3-24-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 90-92 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 3-20-26

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March 20th, 2026

Inner Beauty, Outward Charm

“Don’t you love it when some incredibly beautiful woman like Linda Evans or Cindy Crawford tells us that the real beauty secret is finding your inner light? No shit. But I’ve done the dame things these women have done to find my inner light and while it’s true I’m happier, I still don’t look lie them.”

Marianne Deborah Williamson (American Author, Spiritual Leader, and Political Activist; July 8th, 1952)

“We can’t all look like Linda Evans or Condy Crawford, but we can each look our best. Simplicity plays a part in striking the right chord of self. This occurs naturally as we begin to rethink how to put together our best look. Our authentic look. Gradually we learn that the ‘less is more’ approach applies to makeup and fashion as well as to decorating and entertaining.”

“Ironically, this desire to look our best comes after we have committed to our inner work. As we go within, searching for spiritual groth, we begin to blossom on the outside. Time well spent in meditation gives us more serenity, and it shows on our faces. Learning to love ourselves exactly as we are gives us motivation to move forward…”

“Why does working on our inner beauty produce outward charm? Perhaps it is because the two are inexorably connected.”

“As is inner, so is the outer.”

Gnostic axiom

“Women who realize thei full potential delight the Great Creator with their brilliance.”

“Before my story began…” (Heather Houston 3-20-22)

1972 Me…at my Aunt Carrie’s Baby Shower

“I have mostly ignored or underestimated my outer beauty. My story whispered to me that I was unlovable, unworthy, not enough. I pursued my inner beauty in hopes of others seeing me and being able to overlook my outward packaging. Ho-Hum…not what I wanted my life to be. I want to feel beautiful inside and out. I strive to work on my own self-image daily.” (Heather Houston 3-20-22)

“I am really at a point where I genuinely like my inside and out. With love in my life for the first time where I can give it freely and receive it without reasons, I am feeling happier and more beautiful than ever. I really love my 50s and my 60s are going to be smashing!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 86-87 of 501.

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