As the nation recognizes the servicemen and women who gave their lives for us, I remember my husband’s father who kept trying to enlist in WWII but got denied because he was too young. He finally got in right at the end and told stories of the ride on the “liberty ship” from the west…
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And spring comes at last
I don’t spend much time outside — too many writerly things to do on the weekend — but I was walking outside the other day (at the day job) and realized I was no longer wearing the heavy winter parka, gloves on my hands and scarf wrapped around half my head. In fact, I’d pared…
Is it spring yet?
I’m not sure when I became such a wimp about winter weather. It might have been the year when my kids were in grade school and we had 14 ice storms over the course of one winter. (We lived in New Jersey at the time, the land of the “wintery mix” one day, and a…
Simply…enough?
As I write this, it’s actually Day 23 of the Simple Abundance devotional, and I’ve decided to put a pause on the blogging. The readings are beginning to seem too similar to me. I’m having a hard time picking up on the nuances from day to day, and I’m having an even harder time…
Day 19 – Choose joy
Today’s message from “Simple Abundance” is all about choosing joy in each moment–a nuanced take on thinking like an optimist. Author Sarah Ban Breathnach theorizes that by “cultivating gratitude,” we begin to experience a paradigm shift in our expectations. But it takes practice. “Many of us unconsciously create dramas in our minds, expecting the…
Day 18 – Where do you find beauty?
I feel like I’ve read today’s message before, about opening our eyes to the beauty in our worlds. Breathnach’s theory is that as we learn to simplify our existence (mentally and physically), we crave beauty more than ever. We don’t need to create this beauty because it already exists — we simply need to…
Day 17 – Family harmony
The message for Jan. 17 is about finding a balance in your life which Breathnach calls “harmony.” We each need to find the balance between the demands of outside forces–family, work, social obligations–and the inner “me” who needs peace and relaxation. Breathnach likens the journey for achieving harmony to that of the pianist learning…
Day 16 – Clutter-a-holic?
Hello, my name is Leah, and I’m a clutter-a-holic. I’m not sure that’s an actual word, but I do believe it’s an actual condition which could be applied to those who are surrounded by clutter. Just look at the TV shows that try to tackle this malady: Hoarders, Clean Sweep, Extreme Clutter, to name…
Day 15 – Simply simplicity?
Breathnach says once we begin to identify our blessings, “we feel the urge to pare down, get back to basics, and learn what is essential for happiness.” As an example she says, “Visualize a bouquet of bright yellow daffodils in a white milk jug on a pine mantel, sunlight streaming through sparking clean windows,…
Day 14 – Chronicling Gratitude
Today’s reading suggests keeping a gratitude journal. Breathnach says to write down five good things that happened to you at the end of every day, the idea being if you document the good stuff, your perception will begin to change. You’ll begin to be more aware of your blessings. It is a great idea, one…