Tag: John Ruskin

My Abundant Life 5-17-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 17th, 2026

The Ruskin Spring Ritual of Restoration

“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fir for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.”

John Ruskin (English Polymath & Writer; February 8th 1819 to January 20th, 1900)

“To be buried in lava and not turn a hair, it is then a man shows what stuff he is made of.”

Samuel Beckett (Irish Novelist & Playwright; April 13th, 1906 to December 22nd, 1989)

“When in doubt throw it away. You don’t need it. You don’t want it. You forgot you even had it, so don’t keep it. No, it will not come in handy some day. Furthermore, you do not, under any circumstances, want the contents of your junk drawers ending up being thrown into ‘junk boxes’.”

“So uncanny how we are actually in the throws of sorting boxes from storage to choose what to keep and what to discard or donate. It is a lot of work AND invigorating to live more simply.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 163 to 165 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-3-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 3rd, 2026

A Welcome Retreat: Home as a Haven in a Hectic World

“Every spirit builds itself a house, and beyond its house a world, and beyond its world a heaven. Know then that world exists for you.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Essayist; May 25th, 1803 to April 27th, 1882)

“…heaven on earth…not only from injury, but from all terror, doubt and division.”

John Ruskin (English Polymath and Writer; December 10th, 1907 to November 8th, 1998)

“Home is where we start from.”

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

“Begin believing that the time, energy, and emotion you invest daily in the soulcraft of homecaring—carving out a haven for yourself and those dear to you—is a sacred endeavor.”

“I have always cherished the early morning hours when I get up and clean-up the kitchen from the previous nights activities. To set-up the coffee for my love and feel that my start to the day is complete. A clean and orderly home clears my mind of the unnecessary dialogue. Each day I live into my life with enthusiasm and energy knowing my home is my haven and I treat her with respect and keep maintained as my families sanctuary.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 144 to 145 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-25-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 25th, 2026

On a Clear Day You can See Forever

“The greatest thing a human being ever does in this world is to see something. …To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one.”

John Ruskin (English Polymath and Writer; February 8th, 1819 to January 20th, 1900)

“If only we could pull out our brains and use only our eyes.”

Pablo Picasso (Spanish Painter and Sculptor; October 25th, 1881 to April 8th, 1973)

“One eye sees, the other feels.”

Paul Klee (Swiss-German Artist; December 18th, 1879 to June 29th, 1940)

“In a way nobody sees a flower really, it is so small, we haven’t the time–and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”

Georgia O’Keeffe (American Painter; November 15th, 1887 to March 6th, 1986)

“To see takes time. We haven’t the time. Here is the unrelenting truth and it’s chilling to the soul. Most of us have been given a miraculous gift–the ability to see–but we don’t take the time to do more than glance around. We take our sense of sight for granted.”

“I love my ability to see, just look at all the eagle sightings I post. I have a bit of an eagle eye.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 131 to 132 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-7-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 7th, 2026

Come Alive With Color

“With color, for the price of a pot of paint, people can express their own style and individuality. But, as with style, a gift for color has to be developed by experiment. If you don’t dare, you are doomed to dullness.”

Shirley Conran (English Author and Designer; September 21st, 1932 to May 9th, 2024)

“To build a wardrobe with staying power, invest in classic colors for the foundation—black, white, navy, gray, beige, camel, tan, khaki, ivory, and the ‘reds’ including wine and russet.”

“The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”

John Ruskin (English Art Critic; February 8th, 1819 to January 20th, 1900)

“I like the idea of selecting color chips from a paint store to begin building your color palette.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 110-111 of 501.

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