Aging with Grace

Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.

Sara Ban Breathnach

Scanning my bookshelves this week, I came across, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It was published in 1995 and contains daily essays of how to live a life filled with grace and gratitude. It sold seven million copies and is still available. I remember waiting for the book to be released. When I finally was able to buy it, I looked forward every morning to reading the lesson for the day.

I was curious to know what happened to the author after twenty-six years. As it turns out, by 2009, Sarah Ban Breathnach was broke and forced to move in with her sister in California. She left behind a lavish life style that included a 900 year old home in the English countryside, a sponging British husband, and a load of debt. She went on to re-group, paid her bills, and in 2010, published another book, Peace and Plenty. This book details how she survived her financial crisis and she writes to help other women through what she learned.

I plan to re-read, Simple Abundance. I admire Sarah’s tenacity in coming back after hitting bottom and I think it adds a new gravitas to her work. She gives us hope that adversity can be overcome and it’s possible to find a way back.