Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy” as Want to Read:
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy
by
With the grace of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift From the Sea and the wisdom of M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled, Simple Abundance is a book of 366 evocative essays - one for every day of your year - written for women who wish to live by their own lights.
In the past a woman's spirituality has been seperated from her lifestyle. Simple Abundance shows you how your daily
...moreHardcover, 528 pages
Published
August 1st 2008
by Warner Books
(first published 1995)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

of course this book is cheesy. of course it's a cliche. of course it's tempting to shrug off any of the good in it in favor of trashing sarah's personal life. and of course i wasn't the target audience for it as a 19-year-old college student back in 1998, and i'm still not the target audience 10 years later. but i credit this book for helping me weather a particularly difficult depressive episode in the first half of '98 and come out of it transformed--not into someone new, but into my authentic
...more

This book changed my life for the better, plain and simple, when it was first published. I read it again every few years to refresh the lessons learned.
Notes from 2018: some of the meditations seem a bit dated since this was first written 23 years ago but the nuggets of truth remain. I was surprised and pleased that my adult daughter requested a copy for herself for Christmas this year. I hope it has the same impact on her life as it has on mine.
Notes from 2018: some of the meditations seem a bit dated since this was first written 23 years ago but the nuggets of truth remain. I was surprised and pleased that my adult daughter requested a copy for herself for Christmas this year. I hope it has the same impact on her life as it has on mine.

I have a lot of found memories about this book. It is a book about self, featuring a short essay to read each day. It is set up in calendar format and wonderfully written to inspire peace in one's life. A book I will never part with!
...more

Dec 20, 2016
Denise みか Hutchins
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
improvement-and-how-to,
owned-previously
I didn't read even half of this book in total, I admit up front. This isn't the type of book that a person needs to read for more than a few pages to know whether it's for them or not. I therefore feel proud of myself for spending as much time as I did on it. When I initially read the description for "Simple Abundance" it really seemed like something I would love: how to improve your life one day at a time through introspection and appreciation of what you already have. Who wouldn't benefit from
...more

I bought this book back in 1998. It is my favorite book of all. Each day you read a small section for that day. It is very inspiring and informative. Not only does the author, Sarah ban Breathnach, give me something positive to reach for but I usually learn little tid-bits of interesting, historical trivia. If I go a few days and forget to read this book, after I pick it up and begin again, I am "back on top" of things and looking at the world from a much sweeter perspective. I highly recommend
...more

This book looked and sounded like a good devotional. Unfortunately, after 3 days of reading it, I decided not to. The author is Catholic and rather than referring to God she keeps using the word Spirit (and not in reference to the Holy Spirit). I almost felt like it was written from a New Age viewpoint.

I loved this book when I first read it in 1996. I loved the ideas for appreciating each season, and how it encouraged you to live your authentic life. I did a lot of the exercises in it too, like creating a book with all pictures in it that you like to learn your true style. I had a little trouble with the "gratitude journal" though. I found it difficult to do on a nightly basis. But I loved everything else this book suggests. My all-time favorite is the "Living Easter Basket" which is a basket
...more

A gift from my mom - I've been reading this book off and on for a few years. I really have come to like it lately - it helps me keep my head on straight. The only "exercise" I've actually done from the book is a gratitude journal. It's amazing how much it helps to write down three things I'm grateful for before I go to bed, especially on those horrible, terrible, no-good days.
...more

This book was already a best-seller when my dad gave me a copy back in 1998, but I had never heard of it then, and didn't know what to expect. I plunged in, was immediately impressed, and now I give the book five stars because it made such a difference in my outlook on life at the time. These little essays are just plain feel-good stuff and inspirations for every occasion I can think of. Furthermore, these various missives (I have several favorites) continue to give me a little emotional boost
...more

This is one of my mom's favorite books. In fact, she loves the book so much, that she went to a workshop from Sarah Breathnach in California one year.
I tried to read this book when I was a teenager but couldn't relate to it at the time so I dropped it. I think this book is more directed to women about ages 20+ years.
Reading this book was quite entertaining for me since it brought so many memories of growing up with a mom who followed a lot of the suggestions from this book. I often read passages ...more
I tried to read this book when I was a teenager but couldn't relate to it at the time so I dropped it. I think this book is more directed to women about ages 20+ years.
Reading this book was quite entertaining for me since it brought so many memories of growing up with a mom who followed a lot of the suggestions from this book. I often read passages ...more

May 03, 2019
Steve Hager
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
complete-book-collection,
hardcover-collection
Read and listened to this book too many times to count.

Let me begin with the flaws in this book. Yes, it is often incredibly cringey. Certain parts of it have not aged well. It is noticeably written with the middle-aged, Christian, white, housewife audience in mind. It can be rather patronizing at times. Many articles focus on delightful topics relevant to women in 2019 such as curating a perfect linen closet or scrapbooking your dream life. If those are your jam, that’s great. I admit that they made me want to roll my eyes at times. Other phrases t
...more

Sep 23, 2009
Janet
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
All moms!
Recommended to Janet by:
Oprah
When I was finally ready to read this book, I had to dig deep down into my pile of unread books to find it. I had gotten it years earlier after seeing Sarah on Oprah. I knew then that what she was teaching - to fully reside in the present and see the spiritual in the seemingly mundane - was exactly what I needed to grasp. The problem was that I was buried so deep in the mundane that I didn’t make this a priority until several years later.
Simple Abundance is a “day book”...to get the most out of ...more
Simple Abundance is a “day book”...to get the most out of ...more

I have started this book three times and never made it past March. I don't know if it's because I get distracted or if it's because Sarah Ban Breathnach is always talking about her family and the kids and all of the responsibilities of a mom and wife -- and I can't relate. Or maybe I just get bored. I have learned some important tips that I've found helpful (my fav is what I call my "happy drawer") where I keep stuff that makes me happy so it's there when I need it. Maybe I'm just stubborn -- th
...more

Dec 09, 2011
Thing Two
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Thing Two by:
Alicerschmidt
January 19: Many of us unconsciously create dramas in our minds, expecting the worst from a situation only to have our expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Inadvertently, we become authors of our own misfortune. And so we struggle from day to day, from crisis to crisis, bruised and battered by circumstances without realizing that we always have a choice.

This book was given to me as a gift from a friend. At a book club she mentioned this as one of her favorite books that had deeply changed her life. It was published in the early 1990s, but it still feels somewhat relevant.
The only problem for me is I'm a daily scripture reader, so having another daily book to read doesn't work well. It's just one more thing. Breathnach says some think of this as their pink Bible. I'm not surprised. It's full of good advice and some truth. My problem is I have e ...more
The only problem for me is I'm a daily scripture reader, so having another daily book to read doesn't work well. It's just one more thing. Breathnach says some think of this as their pink Bible. I'm not surprised. It's full of good advice and some truth. My problem is I have e ...more

Oh goodness, I read this when it first came out and I'm not sure how it never ended up on the list of my books. It was transforming for me at a time when I needed it, and I am grateful for that experience. I'm giving it as a Christmas gift to a friend this year and hope that she, too, has a wonderful year of Simple Abundance.
...more

I started reading this collection of essays on January 1, 2017 and faithfully read the daily selection each day this year, finishing this morning. Many were inspirational, some thought provoking, and others were validating.
This one sums it all up nicely, I think
"Authentic success is having time enough to pursue personal pursuits that give you pleasure, time enough to make the loving gestures for your family you long to do, time enough to care for your home, tend your garden, nurture your soul. A ...more
This one sums it all up nicely, I think
"Authentic success is having time enough to pursue personal pursuits that give you pleasure, time enough to make the loving gestures for your family you long to do, time enough to care for your home, tend your garden, nurture your soul. A ...more

Was introduced to this book the first time I was admitted to the psychiatric inpatient unit and it quite literally helped to change my life. It only takes a page a day but it reminds you to appreciate the little things and practicing gratitude is a great way to combat suicidal ideation. Thank you <3

I have been reading this wonderful book, almost religiously day after day, the message that I get is like, well... Morning after Morning I am grateful for the ubiquitous way that the words never lose the ability to start each day for me on such a feeling of Positive Energy and I can take that with me through creativity and "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!"
I should begin that book that has been my life from the start and I am always being told "You should write a book !"
I thank you for such a gift, ,I ...more
I should begin that book that has been my life from the start and I am always being told "You should write a book !"
I thank you for such a gift, ,I ...more

I started reading this book January 1, 2016. I followed it for awhile and then set it aside and kept forgetting to read it. I was finding myself picking it up and reading each days entry in for several days in the same day. I put this book down for months, picked it up again and started reading at the beginning of the month I was in. I picked it up again around Christmastime and started reading it for the day it was. This is a very inspiring book and I really do want to read it. I am going to do
...more

Nov 18, 2014
Damien
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spirituality-philosophy-self-help
An absolutely gorgeous book of daily meditations of thankfulness. You just read a meditation a day. I have heard people say it's twee or corny and to be honest I suppose it is a bit. The author does talk about such things as baking cakes, flower arranging and home building but she also teaches us to start right where we are, with all our current problems and difficulties and find joy and hope in the little things. Written by Sarah Ban Breathnach ( pronounced Branack) it has this homey old fashio
...more

Excellent book.
the entire month of June sucked.
But I think I am the absolute antithesis of "home maker" so that might explain it.
Others, who enjoy doing things such as "tucking muffins" and tying up towels with grosgrain ribbons might enjoy her month of June.
Otherwise, great stuff.
Also, eerily on the mark, for some days. Like, I'd open up the book and all of a sudden she'd have a quote from a book that I'd just read, and had never heard of before, or address EXACTLY my problem on the day I was ...more
the entire month of June sucked.
But I think I am the absolute antithesis of "home maker" so that might explain it.
Others, who enjoy doing things such as "tucking muffins" and tying up towels with grosgrain ribbons might enjoy her month of June.
Otherwise, great stuff.
Also, eerily on the mark, for some days. Like, I'd open up the book and all of a sudden she'd have a quote from a book that I'd just read, and had never heard of before, or address EXACTLY my problem on the day I was ...more

Jun 13, 2010
Rebecca
is currently reading it
I read this book almost daily and it has completely revamped the way I think about taking care of myself. It's also not overwhelming because you can implement small beautiful practices into your life daily or monthly...there are lots of ideas and suggestions and it really does help a woman learn to love and nurture herself so she can love and nurture those around her better. It has changed my life to start reading this book. I can't say enough about it. If you are a woman-- I think you should re
...more

This was a very useful book of ideas and suggestions to improve your life and develop your spirituality. I believe Breathnach is one of the first authors I read to suggest living your life from a perspective of gratitude. When I use her suggestions to begin and end my day expressing gratitude and listing all those things for which I am and should be grateful, my life emanates from a much calmer and more joyful place, that's for sure!
...more

May 04, 2007
Kecia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
women who can't hear the small quiet voice
Shelves:
non-fiction,
inspiration
I found it at a thrift shop the day after Christmas without really knowing what it was about. It saved my sanity the first full year in my house as a single-first-time-homeowner. Every morning I looked forward to my few minutes with the day's essay. I enjoyed it so much that I've continued to keep my Gratitude Journal.
...more

Dec 26, 2013
Lisamarie Landreth
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
all-time-faves,
365,
seasonal,
2017,
non-fiction,
better-than-before,
memoir,
2014,
new-year
A new perennial favorite. A book written in 1995 twenty years ahead of it's time.
"I wanted to write a book that would show me how to reconcile my deepest spiritual, authentic, and creative longings with often-overwhelming and conflicting commitments."
Yes. This.
I savored every page of this book through 2014 and plan to start anew reading in 2015. ...more
"I wanted to write a book that would show me how to reconcile my deepest spiritual, authentic, and creative longings with often-overwhelming and conflicting commitments."
Yes. This.
I savored every page of this book through 2014 and plan to start anew reading in 2015. ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Making 2015 a Simply Abundant year | 20 | 70 | Mar 04, 2017 08:17AM |
In addition to SIMPLE ABUNDANCE, Sarah Ban Breathnach is the author of THE SIMPLE ABUNDANCE JOURNAL OF GRATITUDE, SOMETHING MORE, and MRS. SHARP'S TRADITIONS. She currently resides in California. Please visit her website at www.simpleabundance.com.
...more
Related Articles
Historian Alexis Coe's new book, You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington, arrived in U.S. bookstores in February. Coe...
145 likes · 30 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Today expect something good to happen to you no matter what occurred yesterday. Realize the past no longer holds you captive. It can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it. Let the past go. A simply abundant world awaits. (January 11)”
—
404 likes
“Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to contemplate what's working and what's not, so that we can make changes for the better. (January 17)”
—
68 likes
More quotes…