Sarah Ban Breathnach

I won't be surprised if that name isn't familiar to you but kudos! if you recognize her as the author of the book Simple Abundance.

I found this book in the mid-1990's. A roommate (thanks Natalie) recommended it to me and we enjoyed it together. Sarah (I'll call her by her first name because she is like a dear friend) writes about finding gratitude in the simple things in life. Each chapter is about 1-2 pages long where she shares her personal thoughts and experiences, quotes,  and occasionally she gives a kind of "homework" for you as the reader to try.

I love her style. She is personable, friendly and understanding.

Well, I had forgotten about Sarah. Somehow in all my moves around the world, my copy of Simple Abundance was lost. So when I saw Peace and Plenty, the similar cover and familiar author, caught my eye and I snatched it off the library bookshelf.

I was surprised to read that the book is about money.
About managing your money and how to deal with money misspent, lost or mismanaged.

Hmmmmm - very different from her first book, which was all about gratitude.

But once I started reading, it was like hearing an old friend! She is so honest, helpful, encouraging and did I say honest?

I read it cover to cover like a novel (which it isn't) in between a quick trip to Arizona to see my grandfather and my daily routine here at home. Sarah, made millions on her book Simple Abundance but somewhere along the way it was lost. She writes in short snippets about what happened but they are not the focus of what the book is about. It is about us finding peace despite terrible things happening.

Her advice is sage because she has experienced financial ruin but her familiar voice is calm, warm and positive.

I loved it! And it made me thankful for my blessings. For a roommate who introduced me to her years ago, for the years I was single and learning how to manage money and for a husband who is financially wise. (Don't worry Sarah, I will still take your advice and have my own, separate bank account.)

Now I need to buy the book, read it again and flag the parts and quotes that I thought were so good! Happy reading!

Pieces from my collection

- The green piece is the base of an old bottle
- The white oval is the solid smooth base of an old bottle
- The red piece is from (I am guessing) a signal light used on an old boat.

I don't know that much about sea glass but all that I do know comes from the book Pure Sea Glass by Richard LaMott. Beautiful book and great information. They have set of identification cards that I use often to get information and to compare colors.

I just found a purple piece last week, but the photo wasn't doing it justice.
 I'll have to wait for some sunlight.

On a different note, here is something I made this week.  (If you can't you tell, it is a child's backpack, it was really cute. The straps pull and tighten the top to make it like a sack that you wear on your back). I made it for a friend's daughter, Lara. She was turning 3.  We put some sea glass inside as an extra bonus, since Lara loves to play with our collection when she comes to play.

I did make sure all the pieces were large enough so they couldn't be inserted in her nose....
                                        

Duty and Joy

I have always appreciated this quote, a roommate shared it with me years ago.
 
"I slept and dreamt that life was joy;
I awoke and found that life was duty,
I acted and behold, duty was joy."

That quote came to mind earlier this week and I have been thinking again of how true those words are. I find that the every day things that I sometimes dread, once started aren't that bad. For example, today I cleaned the house. I have a small house but I get tired of always cleaning it to see it get messy again. But seeing the clean bathroom, the mopped floors and tidy living room made me feel good - yes, I guess I could say joy.

Another example:  Child #2 has been getting up, oh so early lately and while I dislike the early hour, watching the day come alive is lovely and even at that early hour, she is still so cute, with her little voice and demanding ways.

Life is mostly duty (I have found) but there can be beauty in the routine, in the mundane and all the world around.