Tag: Self-Help

My Abundant Life 5-8-26

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May 8th, 2026

Rediscovering the Sacred Soulcraft of Homecaring

“The ordinary arts we practice every day at home of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.”

Thomas Moore (Irish writer & Poet; May 28th, 1779 to February 25th, 1852)

“Creating a comfortable, beautiful, well-run home can be among our most satisfying accomplishments as well as an illuminating spiritual experience. Like sweat equity, channeling your time and creative energy closer to home will produce a big emotional return for yourself and those you love.”

“The order in my home creates a space where my mind can rest in sanctuary and peace.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 151 to 152 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-7-26

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May 7th, 2026

Everyday Edens: Spending Another Day in Paradise

“Home is the definition of God. Eden is that old-fashioned House we dwell in every day.”

Emily Dickinson (American Poet; December 10th, 1830 to May 15th, 1886)

“Perhaps now—of all times—when I am nearly bowed under physically, emotionally, and psychologically by the minutiae of the mundane, is the very moment I need the reverence of poets who bear witness to the sacredness of the ordinary.”

“We are all given a choice each day. We can react negatively to the demands made on us or we can choose to live abundantly, to transform the negative into the meaningful. Attitude is all. If I do not endow my life and my work with meaning, no one will ever be able to do it for me.”

“I enjoy the daily ‘To Dos’ to keep the household running smoothly. They are almost meditative and tend to clear my mind for greater creative energy when the household is in order.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 149 to 151 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-6-26

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May 6th, 2026

After the Fact: The Art of Decorative Detection

“When friends enter a home, they sense its personality and character, the family’s style of living—these elements male a house come alive with a sense of identity, a sense of energy, enthusiasm, and warmth, declaring, ‘This is who we are; this is how we live.'”

Ralph Lauren (American Fashion Designer, Philanthropist & Billionaire Businessman; October 13th, 1949)

“To one who waits, all things reveal themselves…so long as you have the courage not to deny in the darkness what you have seen in the light.”

Coventry Patmore (English Poet & Literary Critic; July 23rd, 1823 to November 26th, 1896)

“Because our ‘hobbit house’ is so small, we only surround ourselves with items that we use and bring us joy. No hoarding ‘stuff'”.

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 147 to 149 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-5-26

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May 5th, 2026

Eminent Domain: Whose Home Is It, Anyways?

“Your home is your home only when you feel you have jurisdiction over the space.”

Joan Kron (Film Producer)

“A home’s tranquility always comes from within no matter what the circumstances. The space one’s soul requires cannot be measured in inches, feet or dollars.”

“Where we are in our lives and our relationship with others must take precedence over our decorating choices. Sometimes what we want just isn’t practical or right for us now. …These are not so much questions of lifestyle as of life passages…An honest home that rings true to the lives of the people who occupy it will always be disarmingly refreshing to visitors.”

Alexandra Stoddard (Author & Interior Designer; November 8th, 1941)

“My home is my sanctuary and I keep it organized so it doesn’t take up space cluttering my mind.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 146 to 147 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-4-26

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May 4th, 2026

The Personality of Your Home

“A house is who you are, not who you ought to be.”

Jill Robinson (American Novelist, Essayist, and Teacher; May 30th, 1936 to July 20th, 2024)

“You will express yourself in your house whether you want to or not.”

Elsie de Wolfe (American Actress; December 20th, 1865 to July 12th, 1950)

“When we do, the principles of gratitude, simplicity, and order will begin to transform the places where we live into hallowed havens of comfort and contentment—with or without the new slipcovers.”

“Today, no matter where or how you live, look upon your home through the eyes of Love. Walk around the rooms and offer thanks for the walls and roof that safely enclose you and yours. Pause for a moment to consider all the women who have lost their homes through death, divorce, debt, or disaster. Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that, at this moment, all you have is all you truly need.”

“My home is my husband, so where ever we hang our hats is home. I prefer to live in a way where all the spaces are lived in an used. Having a formal dining room, etc. does not interest me as most of us know that room is rarely used and we often find our selves eating in the kitchen or at the daily dining table.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 145 to 146 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 5-2-26

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May 2nd, 2026

Living in the House of Spirit

“How to be happy when you are miserable. Plant Japanese poppies with cornflowers and mignonette, and bed out the petunias among the sweet-peas so that they shall scent each other. See the sweet-peas coming up. Drink very good tea out of a thin Worcester cup of a colour between apricot and pink…”

Rumer Godden (British Author; December 10th, 1907 to November 8th, 1998)

“It was the small things that helped, taken one by one and savored. Make yourself savour them.”

Rumer Godden (British Author; December 10th, 1907 to November 8th, 1998)

“The soulcraft of creating and sustaining safe havens, set apart from the world, in which to seek and savor small authentic joys.”

“…everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time, but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.”

Indian proverb

“I spend time in each room everyday as that is living fully into every day and every moment.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 142 to 144 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 5-1-26

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May 1st, 2026

“Let all they joy be as the month of May.”

Frances Quarles (English Poet; May 8th, 1592 to September 9th, 1644)

“This month we turn our attention homeward, as we continue to weave simplicity into our daily round while reacquainting ourselves with the transformative power of the third Simple Abundance principle—Order.”

Everyday Epiphanies

“Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it.”

Anne de Lenclos (French Writer; November 10th, 1620 to October 17th, 1705)

“We should write an elegy for every day that has slipped through our lives unnoticed and unappreciated. Better still, we should write a song of thanksgiving for all the days that remain.”

“…we’re startled into consciousness by an unforeseen threat to something that we hold dear and have been taking for granted. I call these luminous moments ‘everyday epiphanies,’ because they jar us into a profound awareness of how much we have, and how much we have escaped, and how much there is to be grateful for.”

“Everyday epiphanies encourage us to cherish everything. Today a new sun has risen. Everything lives. Everything can speak to your soul passionately if you will be still enough to listen.”

“You have to count on living every single day in a way you believe will make you feel good about your life, so that if it were over tomorrow, you’d be content.”

Jane Seymour (British Actress; February 15th, 1951)

“Being present for every breath IS the juice of life. Using up all the day and living each day like it is the best party ever is the key! Neil and I have a party everyday…intimate connection, marvelous cocktail, scrumptious dinner and holding hands watching our favorite cooking shows together IS our life juice.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 141 to 142 of 501.

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

My Abundant Life 4-30-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

April 30th, 2026

When Did You Feel Most Beautiful?

“I don’t believe makeup and the right hairstyle alone can make a woman beautiful. The most radiant woman in the room is the one full of life and experience.”

Sharon Stone (American Actress; March 10th, 1958)

“…Love was the common denominator that transformed me, not the outer trappings: love for my husband, love four our child. love for my work. This is perhaps the most important beauty lesson any of us can ever learn. Love has the power to transcend our physical limitations.”

“The more I wonder, the more I love.”

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

“When wonder and love become as indispensable to you as foundation and blush, you will become the most radiant woman in the world.”

“I know for a fact that love recreates you. I have felt more beautiful with each passing year and seem to have found a ‘Fountain of Youth’ of sorts as I look and feel better now than I ever have. Each passing year is better than any before it. My husband Neil is my love elixir.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 138 to 139 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.