Tag: inspiration

My Abundant Life 7-27-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

July 27th, 2026

Solitary Pleasures

“Alone, alone, Oh! We have been warned about solitary vices. Have solitary pleasures ever been adequately praised? Do many people know they exist?”

Jessamyn West (American Author, July 18th, 1902 to February 23rd, 1984)

“Nothing in our past lives is wasted. Nothing that once made us feel happy and fulfilled is ever lost. There’s a golden thread that runs through each of our lives. We just need to rediscover this thread before the joy of living completely unravels.”

It’s called zest. Exuberance. Joi de vivre, as the French would say, or ‘the love of life.’ The great delight that comes when the pieces of our particular puzzle finally fit. The heartfelt happiness we derive when something brings us keen pleasure. Something uniquely our own. They used to call this magical something a hobby.”

“The state of BEingness in every moment turns your life into one big party. Like we say everyday, ‘We live each day as the best party ever. We eat delicious food, we create stunning cocktails, we have the best sex ever and we love each other HARD!’ If you could have the best food, the best cocktails, the best sex and the best love ever…wouldn’t you go for it? We do and we do!”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 273 to 274 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-22-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

July 22nd, 2026

Neglect Not The Gifts Within You

“She endured. And survived. Marginally, perhaps, but it is not required of us that we live well.”

Anne Cameron (Canadian Novelist & Poet, August 20th, 1938 to November 30th, 2022)

“Oh, yes it is! We may come back to enjoy another life–and I’m open to that possibility–but until I know for sure, I don’t want to waste the one I’m living right now. I’ve endured. And survived. And I’ve lived marginally, but living well is all it’s cracked up to be.”

“…open time, with no obligations except toward the inner world and what is going on there.”

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

“Deliberately seeking solitude–quality time spent away from family and friends–may seem selfish. It is not. Solitude is as necessary for our creative spirits to develop and flourish as are sleep and food for our bodies to survive.”

“It is a difficult lesson to learn today–to leave one’s friends and family and deliberately practice the art of solitude for an hour or a day or a week… And yet, once it is done, I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before.”

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

“I have always yearned for solitude to quiet the bustle of life so I could consider the inner voice inside me. Quiet contemplation has always been an attractive vice.

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 267 to 268 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 7-21-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

July 21st, 2026

The Importance of Solitude

“If women were convinced that a day off or an hour of solitude was a reasonable ambition, they would find a way of attaining it. As it is, they feel so unjustified in their demand that they rarely make the attempt.”

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

“I want to be left alone.”

Greta Garbo (Swedish-American Film Actress; September 18th, 1905 to April 15th, 1990)

“I believe that it’s essential for busy women, by which I mean all of us, to pause a moment–this moment–to reconsider the entire subject of solitude. Too many of us approach time alone as if it were a frivolous, expendable luxury rather than a creative necessity.”

“Certain springs are tapped only when we are alone. The artist knows he must be alone to create; the writer, to work out his thoughts; the musician to compose; the saint, to pray. But women need solitude in order to find again te true essence of themselves… The problem is not entirely in finding the room of one’s own, the time alone, difficult and necessary as this is. The problem is more how to still the soul in the midst of its activities. In fact the problem is how to feed the soul.”

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

“In the past I was horrible at this and always placed myself last on the list. I am gradually putting myself first. I am not willing to say I am being selfish because I do so. Instead, I am worthy and deserve to put myself first and find the time to be creative and fully self-expressed.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 266 to 267 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

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

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 6-27-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 27th, 2026

Rosemary for Remembrance: Sowing Herbal Hopes and Wishes

“Balm brings you sympathy and Marjoram joy

Sage is long life…Sweet Woodruff augurs well for health–

A blessing richer far than wealth.

While Lavender means deep devotion, Herb of sweet omen, Rosemary conveys

Affection and remembrance all your days.

May Heaven and Earth and Man combine

To keep these blessings ever thine.”

Rachel Page Elliott (Author; February 27th, 1913 to March 20th, 2009)

“King Charlemagne of France, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, believed that herbs were ‘the friend of the physician and the pride of cooks’ and ordered the planting of a royal herb garden in the ninth century. Herbs were considered essential for a long, happy, and healthy life.”

“Jeri performs a Native American ritual as she collects herbs. She wears a sacred pouch that carries wheat seeds. As she gathers from the earth, she personally returns an offering by scattering seeds. And even if the seeds don’t sprout, at least she is feeding the earth’s creatures. ‘The Native Americans have a chant that they invoke when they gather.’ Jeri says. ‘The Earth is my Mother, I take care of Her.”

“Today, sow some symbolic seeds, even if you don’t have a garden, as a gesture to ritualize the new life you are creating within. Ask for blessing of Spirit and the nurturing of the Great Mother and know that in due time there will be an abundant harvest for yourself and those you love.”

“In search of my mother’s garden I found my own.”

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

“The idea that even in the 9th century, man knew the value of plants to a healthy life. I love the idea of sowing seeds as a gift to Mother Earth. To return to this gifting might yield a a beautiful canvas or sorts. This gives me hope to be an artist after all.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 228 to 229 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 6-26-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 26th, 2026

Everywoman’s Essence of Paradise

“All the year round she kept racks full of plants in pots standing o green painted wooden steps. There were rare geraniums, dwarf rosebushes, spiraeas with misty white and pink plumes…”

Colette (French Author, Woman of Letters, Mime, Actress & Journalist; January 28th, 1873 to August 3rd, 1954)

“Gardening really has no beginning and no end. In particular, pleasures of the sense of smell really know no seasons. …Bottled under glass, blooming at your elbow, the indoor garden has an immediacy that gardens outside cannot match, The aromas impart an intensity that will not be ignored. …Deliciously distilled, delectably varied–that is the essence of paradise.”

Tovah Martin (Author; October 1969)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 227 to 228 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-29-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 29th, 2026

Allure: The Feminine Mystique

“Taking joy in life is a woman’s best cosmetic.”

Rosalind Russell (American Actress & Model; June 4th, 1907 to November 28th, 1976)

“It is allure, the, mesmerizing power to entice or attract through personal charm and mystery.”

“Where there is a woman there is magic.”

Ntozake Shange (American Playwright & Poet; September 11th, 1885 to March 2nd, 1930)

“You choose to take joy in real life as it unfolds day by day, hour by hour, a heartbeat at a time.”

“To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet; December 19th, 1830 to May 15th, 1886)

“I believe our life IS the gift! I live newly into each moment…each breath. To know I get to love my husband completely in each moment with a fire hose of love IS the juice of life!“

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 136 to 138 of 501.

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

My Musical Life 3-24-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Musical LifeLeave a comment

March 24th, 2026

#77 Keep Me Hangin’ On (Vanilla Fudge) 👍🏼

Lyrics:
Set me free, why don’t you babe?
Get out my life, why don’t you babe?
You really don’t want me, you just keep me hanging on
You really don’t need me, you just keep me hanging on🪄
Why do you keep coming around, playing with my heart?
Why don’t you get out of my life
When seeing you just breaks my heart again
There ain’t nothing I can do about it🪄
You know I need love
Set me free, why don’t you babe?
Talkin’ ’bout love
Get out my life, why don’t now?
You really don’t want me, you just keep me hanging on🪄
Get out my life, why don’t you babe?
Get out my life, why don’t you babe?

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.