Tag: Poet

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 6-28-26

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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 Abundant Life 6-20-26

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June 20th, 2026

Onward and Upward in the Garden

“Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go.”

Louise Driscoll (Poet; 1875 to July 16th, 1957)

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we shall tend. The invisible underbrush holding us back is our own thoughts. When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but on the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure—the wasteland falls away and we experience joy in the real lives we live each day.”

“…don’t forget to tend your interior secret garden, because the seeds that will blossom in outward expression are always first scattered within. Weed out disappointments, frustrations, diminished ambitions, unfulfilled expectations, and anger about what has gone before or what has not yet come. These emotional weeds only choke your creativity. Let an unfettered imagination sow the seeds of possibility in the rich soil of your soul. Then let passion tend the garden with patience and perseverance.”

“When you have a Garden, you have a Future and when you have a Future, you are Alive,”

Frances Hodgson (British-American Novelist & Playwright; November 24th, 1849 to October 29th, 1924)

“The secret garden within each of us needs constant tending and nurturing. It has taken me the first half of my life to understand and implement this…without guilt and as a known truth for my health and happiness.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 218 to 220 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-16-26

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May 16th, 2026

Clearing Out What Isn’t Useful or Beautiful

“Having nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful.”

William Morris (Textile Designer & Poet; March 24th, 1834 to October 9th, 1896)

Irish poet’s call for the aesthetic alchemy of beauty and function in the home “the long-waited-for deliverance of the decorative arts.”

W.B. Yeats (Irish Poet & Former Senator of the Irish Free State; June 13th, 1865 to January 28th, 1939)

“…our authentic decorative deliverance arrives when we begin to appreciate and put to use the Morris rule—ridding ourselves of anything we do not believe to be beautiful or useful—as we restore order to our homes and simplify our lives.”

“…start to sort: if it’s not beautiful, useful, or sentimental, it goes. One pile is for items to give away to thrift shop charities…”

“The other pile is for perfectly good objects of previous infatuations that no longer make your heart beat faster. This pile can be recycled as future gifts.”

“There is an ancient metaphysical law that says if we desire more abundance in our lives we must create a vacuum to allow ourselves to receive the good we seek. How can more good come into our lives if there is no room for it? The way we create the vacuum is by giving away what we no longer need or desire but what can serve others.”

“Deciding to simplify our lives and bring order to our homes by sending on the objects we no longer love to new, happier incarnations with people who will genuinely appreciate them is the way to open ourselves up to receiving an abundance that will perfectly suit us.”

“The timing of this devotion is amazing. Neil and I are sorting through our storage items which have been in storage for 3 years. We will be assessing what we keep and not in a powerful way.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 162 to 163 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

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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 2-16-26

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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)

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“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 1-26-26

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January 26th, 2026

Simple Abundance: The Basic Tools

“Take the gentle path.”

George Herbert (Poet, Orator, and Priest of the Church of England; April 3rd, 1593 ~ March 1st, 1633)

“There is no companion so companionable as Solitude.”

Henry David Thoreau (American Naturalist, Essayist, Poet, and Philosopher; July 12th, 1817 ~ May 6th, 1862)

“See if you can’t give yourself the gift of one hour a day to journey within.”

“This much I know: if you go deep enough, often enough, something good is bound to come back to you.”

“I have committed to daily journaling and reflection. I don’t make it a hard fast start stop as I add doses of it throughout my day instead of a concentrated hour. This enables me to feel like I am addressing and being attentive to my own self-care on an ongoing basis throughout my day vs. being a task to check off my list.” (Heather Houston 1-26-26)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 26-27 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 1-9-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

January 9th, 2026

What Is It You Truly Need?

“In my life’s chain of events nothing was accidental. Everything happened according to an inner need.”

Hannah Szenes (anglicized as: Hannah Senesh or Chanah Senesh) (Poet and a Special Operations Executive Member; July 7th, 1921 ~ November 7th, 1944)

“Do you have everything you need right now? What about your wants?”

“I recognize I do have everything I need. My immediate wants are mostly filled, beside the few that are stymied by COVID. Long-term or fantasy wants are unending, but without adding stress to my current context. I enjoy dreaming of what could be if everything fell into place perfectly.” (Heather Houston 1-9-22)

“This concept has radically changed in the present as I reread my 2022 comments. When I finally felt like I was enough and really loved myself, everything became enough. I was not longer looking outward for happiness or validation. I knew I was enough and loved to be me and alive, which is more than enough.” (Heather Houston 1-9-26)

“If we are to live happy, creative, and fulfilled lives, it is crucial to distinguish between our wants and our needs.”

“Make peace with the knowledge that you can’t have everything you want. Why? Because it’s more important for us to get everything we need.”

“Ask yourself: what is it I truly need to make me happy?”

“That is simple. I need the love of my life in my life as with him, my world is complete…I am complete and whole.” (Heather Houston 1-9-22 & 1-9-26)

“What you need you attract like a lover.”

Gertrude Stein (American Novelist, Poet, Playwright and Art Collector; February 3rd, 1874 ~ July 27th, 1946)

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 8-9 of 501.

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