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:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

Sarah Ban Breathnach (Goodreads Author)

3.96 · Rating details · 37,504 ratings · 612 reviews

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

...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 528 pages

Published August 1st 2008 by Warner Books (first published 1995)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Simple Abundance, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Healing & Spirituality

929 books — 894 voters

Best Books of 1995

380 books — 158 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.96 ·

Rating details

· 37,504 ratings · 612 reviews

More filters

Sort order

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

Jan 13, 2010 Carey rated it really liked it

Shelves: spirituality, self-help

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

flag 42 likes · Like · see review

Feb 01, 2014 Bam cooks the books ;-) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: self-help-and-creativity, 2018-reads, i-own-it, spirituality

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.

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2008 Kathrynn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, reviewed, nonfiction-self-improvement, 2004-and-earlier

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

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

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 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 such a mindset? It only took a few entries to see that the philosophy presented here was written from a very specific point of view and rarely made itself accessible to those outside its limited scope, such as myself. It seems that in order to really enjoy this book and take anything of substance from it, the reader must be: female, married, a parent, of Judeo-Christian faith, and Generation X or older.

Although the author is female, I did not expect based on the title and subtitle that the book would be exclusively aimed at the author's fellow women. That in itself wouldn't bother me but because the book's idea of what a woman is or strives to be is so narrow, I was swiftly excluded despite meeting one of the main enjoyment criteria. The next requirement, to be married, actually occurred for me in the middle of my course of reading, but like my status as female, it didn't really matter. The idea of married life in this book is just as limited as the idea of womanhood. Indeed, the rest of the enjoyment requirements stem from this limited view. So much of the advice is based on having kids and practicing either Christianity or, to a much lesser extent, Judaism. All of that is what brings in the final requirement of age. This book is something I could perhaps see my mother getting into but it fits even better with my grandmother; it's exactly the type of thing she would have lived her life by. In fact it wouldn't surprise me, based on what I read, if my grandmother really had known of and adhered to this book's principles.

But even when throwing away my own perspective and thinking of this book as something written for a baby boomer, a big issue remains: I really don't find "Simple Abundance" very simple at all. The overarching principles by which the reader is meant to live their life are so numerous and complex that it seems impossible for a person to actually remember them all even if they followed the book day-by-day. At first, the plan actually seems pretty straightforward: simple abundance comes from finding one's authentic self. I can agree with that, I would love to live my life based on a foundation of personal authenticity. The how-to is where is gets tricky. From the entry for December 24th, the following principles of Simple Abundance are italicized: gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty, and joy. They all sound lovely and are excellent things to strive for in one's life, but a philosophy based on so many ideas is too much for this reader to remember. Even if I was someone who intended to follow this book not just every day for a year but every day for however many years it took to really live and breathe its philosophy, there's just no way "Simple Abundance" lives up to its name. It seems to take the course of a year not because it wants to use that time to show how its principles can be applied to different situations throughout the changing months but instead because it takes at least a year to really get through everything it has to say. If a reader intended to actually mold their life on “Simple Abundance” I believe it would take at least two year-long read-throughs: one to learn everything and a second to put it into practice.

The most unfortunate aspect of this book is that it actually did have some wonderful entries. Even considering I only read a few days throughout summer, a bit at the start of January, and all of December, I still managed to find a day here and there that actually spoke to me. It was often when the author managed to share her daily topic in a way that was relatively inclusive. Even those instances, however, easily came across as someone talking to an in-group person about an out-group person whose lifestyle they find admirable and worthy of imitation. I found these little gold nuggets among the rocks, but I still felt like they weren't really meant for me, like it was a coincidence that I found value in them, and that's what's so unfortunate.

Maybe if I had been born a few decades earlier, maybe if I found organized religion compelling, maybe if I had led a more (stereo)typical American life, maybe then would this book have been of value to me. I do feel that even today it has an audience, only that the audience is shrinking and the scope grows ever narrower as the years go by. This is not a book for the ages but perhaps it is still one that helped shape the world as it is. Perhaps the reason my life is so different and therefore incompatible with this book is partially thanks to the influence the book already had on the generations that came before me, the generations it was originally written for. Perhaps it came into my hands too late to be appreciated as it was originally meant to be. And so perhaps its growing obsolescence is not evidence of its weakness so much as proof of its work already having been generally completed. ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2009 Mary rated it it was amazing

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

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2017 Loraine rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-complete

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.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2009 Gia rated it really liked it

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

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Vanessa rated it really liked it

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

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 06, 2009 Helynne rated it it was amazing

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 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 whenever I need it. Sarah Ban Breathnach has written 366 short essays--one for each day of the year, not forgetting Feb. 29--on a variety of inspirational topics. Basically, her theme is that every woman can become "the woman she was meant to be," and suggests various ways in which a person can "find her authentic self" on a path she describes in a six-part journey beginning with gratitude, then progressing through awareness and practices of simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy. The January-February essays begin with daily assurances that every individual is of infinite worth, that there are benevolent forces in the universe that are helping each one of us to succeed and achieve our dreams, and that self-nurturing and pampering through little affordable luxuries and indulgences can help the most frazzled busy mom and/or career woman to relax and enjoy the daily wonders of life. Breathnach stresses the need for a daily gratitude journal in which one must write down each day at least five things in her life for which she is grateful. Once this becomes a habit, Breathnach urges women to experience "spiritual awakening" through such habits as meditation, "creating a personal sacred space," and "outfitting a comfort drawer." Later essays laud the joys of homemaking (Hestia is the goddess of homemaking who watches over us as we complete our routine household chores; even these are sacred), gardening, house plants, cooking, etc., I love the essays in which Breathnach inspires us all to value and develop our own untapped sources of creativity. Another of my favorites is "Meditation for Bad Girls" (Nov. 22), which is hilarious. She describes typical "bad girls" as having "blond, raven, or flaming tresses, red mouths and nails. Think Mae West, Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner . . . Bad girls wear capri pants, mules, cashmere or mohair twinsets, silk scares covering their pin curls. . . Bad girls are passionate while the rest of the world is cool. . . Bad girls don't just want to have fun, they make sure they do . . . Bad girls know that it's not the cards you're dealt but how well you play your hand.. . . Bad girls realize this isn't a dress rehearsal. Real life is what you make of it." Breathnach ends this short piece by saying, "You can be bad, you can be good. You just sure as hell better be authentic." Lest I have made you think these essays are more naughty than nice, I'll hasten to add that there is a lot of spritual advice in many of these compositions, including a really nice treatise on Hanukkah (Dec. 6) that describes how important this Jewish observance should be to all Christians. I won't tell you what she says, but it's really interesting. I can't recommend this fun, inspirational book highly enough! ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Brittany rated it really liked it

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

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2019 Kai Crawford rated it really liked it

Shelves: to-reread

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 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 that made me recoil included “illustrated discovery journals”, “personal treasure map” collages, “golden mirror meditation”, the creation of a “hope chest/toy box/comfort drawer”, and constant reinforcement that baths can solve anything.

Despite the shortcomings I mentioned above, I really enjoyed this book. There are so many messages in it that have aged well. The essays about the joys of culling your wardrobe, the importance of gratitude, loving yourself, finding happiness and meaning in life, simplifying the home and making it a relaxing space, the importance of solitude in our lives, and finding joy in the daily mundane, have remained timeless. I think this advice will still hold strong after another 25 years.

Sarah Ban Breathnach’s writing gets pretty kitshy at times but it is nevertheless always sensitive, kind, and gentle. Sometimes, you just need someone to tell you that you are okay, that you are worthy, that you haven’t fucked things up beyond repair, that your life will be fine tomorrow, and this book does exactly that. It provides comfort and kindness when you're not feeling great. For every essay that made me roll my eyes, there were two that made me smile from how remarkably well-written and sensitive they were.

In addition to inspirational essays from the author’s own life and other works that have influenced her, the book is generously sprinkled with thoughtful quotes from a variety of people and mediums and time periods.

Sarah is unabashedly Christian, undeniably a mother, and unarguably a privileged white woman. I don't meet enough of those criteria to comfortably nod my head at everything she writes. I also don’t agree with her repeated reassurances that you will be provided everything you need, as long as you ask for it [from God]. That doesn’t take away from how charming, wholesome, comforting, and encouraging her essays are. She has a wonderful way of distilling simple, common truths into understated, unassuming gems.

As I have tried and failed and tried again, I have discovered that if we are to flourish as creative beings, if we are to grow into Wholeness, we must bloom wherever we are planted. Right now, you might not have the perfect career, home, or relationship. Few of us do. But if you have the gift of today, you’ve got another chance to re-create your circumstances and make them as perfect as it’s possible to do with the resources you have. Today, you get another chance to get it as right as you can make it. What more could you desire?”

...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2009 Janet rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: All moms!

Recommended to Janet by: Oprah

Shelves: non-fiction, spirituality, favorites

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 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 it, you read just one passage per day and focus your energy on the philosophical lesson or practical task of the day. Being quite anal retentive when it comes to order, I didn’t allow myself to start until January 1 (thankfully, it was late in the year when I picked it up again!)...but, “normal” people can allow themselves to start on any given day. ;) To stay on track, I kept it by my dining room table so that every day at breakfast, I could read - and ponder - the day’s passage.

While this book didn’t adequately address my deeper spiritual needs, it definitely brought me to the present a little bit each day and helped me to readjust my attitude about cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc. It reminded me that preparing dinner was not only filling my family’s stomachs, but filling all of our spirits. It taught me that every “thing” I owned needed to connect with my spirit in some way. It reinforced the feeling I had that being organized on the outside helped me to achieve greater clarity on matters of the spirit. The details, the mundane, the seemingly unimportant are just as significant as the significant moments that are scattered throughout our lives...they are the bulk of life.

Simple Abundance was a great starting point for my adventure into the spiritual wilderness. It changed my outlook on my life. After a few months, I found myself faltering a bit...it takes continuous effort to be in the moment and stay positive about the mundane. I may start reading it again...on January 1, 2011. ;) Or, I may check out her other book: Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self. (Fortunately, this one is not buried very deep in my “To Read” pile...in fact, if I turn my head to the right I can see it right next to my dining room table.) ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2009 Jeanne rated it it was ok

Shelves: chick-lit, self-help

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

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 29, 2019 Deb rated it liked it

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2019 Candace rated it it was amazing

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 15, 2020 C rated it really liked it

This book is weird and dated and problematic but also wonderful in its own particular way. It has daily entries and I liked it so much that I actually kept up with reading it for the entire year last year.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2017 Evelyn rated it it was amazing

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 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. Authentic success is never having to tell yourself or those you love, "maybe next year." Authentic success is knowing that if today were your last day on earth, you could leave without regret. Authentic success is feeling focused and serene when you work, not fragmented. It's knowing that you've done the best that you possibly can, no matter what circumstances you faced; it's knowing in your soul that the best you can do is all you can do, and that the best you can do is always enough.
Authentic success is accepting your limitations, making peace with your past, and revelling in your passions so that your future may unfold according to a Divine Plan. It's discovering and calling forth your gifts and offering them to the world to help heal its ravaged heart. It's making a difference in other lives and believing that if you can do that for just one person each day, through a smile, a shared laugh, a caress, a kind word, or a helping hand, blessed are you among women.
Authentic success is not just money in the bank but a contented heart and peace of mind. It's earning what you feel you deserve for the work you do and knowing that you're worth it. Authentic success is paying your bills with ease, taking care of all your needs and the needs of those you love, indulging some wants, and having enough left over to save and share. Authentic success is not about accumulating but letting go, because all you have is all you truly need. Authentic success is feeling good about who you are, appreciating where you've been, celebrating your achievements, and honouring the distance you've already come. Authentic success is reaching the point where being is as important as doing. It's the steady pursuit of a dream. It's realizing that no matter how much time it takes for a dream to come true in the physical world, no day is ever wasted. It's valuing inner, as well as outer, labour - both your own and others'. It's elevating labour to a craft and craft to an art by bestowing Love on every task you undertake.
Authentic success is knowing how simply abundant your life is exactly as it is today. Authentic success is being so grateful for the many blessings bestowed on you and yours that you can share your portion with others.
Authentic success is living each day with a heart overflowing."
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 23, 2019 Dani Devine rated it it was amazing

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2017 Deb Ausley rated it it was amazing

My go to book I read year after year. Love this book which reminds me to center myself thru gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty and joy.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2016 Kevin W. Pierce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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

flag Like · see review

Jan 03, 2013 Audra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: self-empowerment, non-fiction, own, spirituality, mindfulness, oprah, reading-again

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 25, 2007 Virginia rated it really liked it

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Lynn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: spirituality

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

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

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 06, 2009 Carole rated it it was amazing

I have been reading this daybook daily since it was released. It is a source of encouragement on how to set priorities. It is a source of good advice on how to lead an uncomplicated life. It teaches how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, which we often overlook.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Making 2015 a Simply Abundant year	20	70	Mar 04, 2017 08:17AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Nonfiction

198 users

Self Help

195 users

Spirituality

111 users

Inspirational

67 users

Self Help > Personal Development

19 users

Psychology

19 users

Philosophy

14 users

Reference

14 users

Womens

12 users

Religion

10 users

See top shelves…

About Sarah Ban Breathnach

Sarah Ban Breathnach

431 followers

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

Books by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self

Moving On: Creating Your House of Belonging with Simple Abundance

Romancing the Ordinary: A Year of Simple Splendor

The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude

Mrs. Sharp's Traditions: Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations of Comfort & Joy

More…

Alexis Coe on Why It Matters When Women Write History

Historian Alexis Coe's new book, You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington, arrived in U.S. bookstores in February. Coe...

Trivia About Simple Abundance:...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Simple Abundance:...

“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…

See a Problem?

Preview — Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Sarah Ban Breathnach

Books by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Related Articles

Trivia About Simple Abundance:...

Quotes from Simple Abundance:...

See a Problem?

Preview — Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Sarah Ban Breathnach

Books by Sarah Ban Breathnach

Related Articles

Trivia About Simple Abundance:...

Quotes from Simple Abundance:...

new topic
Discuss This Book