Images of Abundance

 A Few of the Many Things That Contribute to a Life of Abundance

A Bountiful Harvest

LOVE

Physical, Mental and Spiritual Health

Connecting with Nature

Hope for the Future

Friends and Family

A Purpose

What would you add to this list?

Abbondanza! by Peggy Jaeger

 I grew up in an Irish/Sicilian household - mom was the Irish descendant, step-dad the Sicilian, so whenever I hear the word ABUNDANCE, I hear it the way it was spoken in my home - the Italian way - ABBONDANZA.

It sounds like such a joyous word when said in the language of Da Vinci, no?

I still use it that way to this day when I describe things, like the abbondanza of books I have to read on my kindle. Or the abbondanza of words I need to get written this month to win NaNoWriMo. That's a quantifiable number, too, set at 50k. But still...it's a lot of words!

Quantifying something as abundant or saying it possesses an abundance of...something, can be viewed either negatively or positively. Since this is me writing this, you know I'm going to accentuate the positive.

Hey - wasn't that a song?

My life is blessed with an abbondanza of friends, for which I am most grateful. My grandmother used to tell me if you made one sincere friend in your lifetime you were lucky. I've been lucky hundreds of times, then, if you go by this statement. I also have a huge family courtesy of my husband. As an only child, I always wanted siblings. I got them when I married a man with 5 brothers and sisters and now they fill my life with joy.

I have an abundance of books in my home library and on my kindle that feed my mind, encourage my psyche, and warm my heart. I'm that girl who loves both print and ebook. It doesn't matter which format I read in, just as long as I read.

I have an abundance of novels on my laptop plotted out and just waiting to have an abundance of time to write them!

Since we are entering the Christmas/Holiday season, I will freely admit that I have an OVER abundance of decorations and I'm not even one little bit embarrassed about that. I grew up poor. We rarely had a Christmas tree and when we did my mother could only afford those breakable, lousy-colored balls as decorations. We didn't even have a star on top of the tree. When I went out on my own and started making my own money, every year I bought a few ornaments and decorations and in just a few years I had a full supply. These days that full supply looks more like a hoard!

My husband actually says I have too many ornaments for one tree, which is why I never put up just one tree, but 4-5.

Don't judge.

One thing I will admit and then also state I am a tad embarrassed about is my overabundance of shoes. I have over 200 pairs. Again - don't judge! Carrie Bradshaw had nothin' on me, kids. And I've worn each and every one of them --- at least once.

It's easy to go overboard with material items, but if you'll remember the beginning of this piece, the first thing I mentioned was my abundance of family and friends - the most important of everything.

This holiday season I am wishing you all an abbondanza of health, love, success, and wisdom~

Peg

Oh, and since we're talking about abundance, you can never have too many holiday-themed romances, so check out my newest, FIXING CHRISTMAS. It's on sale right now for only #99cents 

and the prequel, SANTA BABY

Happy Holidays, kids ~ Peg

Mathematical Abundance - Alice Rosewell

 

I have suffered from an abundance of… wait for it… maths teaching materials!

 

Back in my thirties I retrained as a maths teacher. I thought I could make a difference; I love maths. Turns out I was not so keen on kids, so although I got my teaching degree, I walked out of the classroom on the final day of my teaching practice vowing never to set foot in a school again.  I have the utmost admiration for those who teach in overfilled classrooms with little support and a huge burden of admin, but it was not for me. I didn’t completely give up though, I did some freelance tutoring and spent a year teaching maths to new university students for a couple of hours a week.

A huge amount of preparation goes into even a single hour of teaching, and I accumulated a mass of handwritten lesson plans, handouts, worksheets and I’ve forgotten what else.

 

When I downsized from my large family house to my ‘suitable for a single lady writer’ home I had to bite the bullet and say good bye to an awful lot of stuff.  At least three quarters of my books went to the charity shop - that was a wrench; and most of my quilting stash - a whole trunkful of material - went to a local school. But when it came to products of my mental effort, I hit a wall.

I have always been proud (too proud perhaps) of my intellectual abilities, but I don’t have much in the way of physical evidence to show for it. My piles of paper reminded me of how hard I worked (another value metric), and just how much of a smart arse I was.

Now that I was semi-retired, I had to think carefully about how I wanted to spend the years of creativity I had left. Did I ever want to teach maths to bored teenagers again? NO!  Did I want to spend my time curating cupboards full of papers covered in maths that I don’t even understand anymore? Again, no!

It had to go. I set some time aside to go through it all and say goodbye.

I took a breath.

Enjoyed the feeling of space.

 Then started to fill that space with my increasing piles of old manuscripts!

 Some of us just never learn the important stuff!

 

My name is Alice Rosewell and I live in the city of Bristol in the South West of England (UK), the city where I was born.  I write in British English, so I hope that American readers will not be put off by British spelling of some words.

The first story I remember writing was at primary school, about the age of 7. This was followed by a dry spell which lasted about 50 years during which I got through University, brought up a couple of kids, and had a successful career in IT.

I had the outline of a story which I’d dreamed up one evening in the pub, but that sat in a folder for about a decade until I got made redundant for the 2nd time in one year! This event coincided with the Kindle becoming mainstream, and Indie publishing an option. I dusted off my few pages of ideas and got to work. For the last few years, I have been writing contemporary women’s fiction, publishing three novels: Irrelevant Women, The Kite Makers, and my latest, An End to Dreaming.  A good friend described my writing as intriguing, uplifting, and will not give you nightmares!  I think that about sums it up.

Abundance at Harvest Festival Time

When I was a kid we spent many of our school holidays on a farm in rural Lincolnshine (UK). After a busy summer helping my grandparents harvest the crops, I couldn't wait for the next school holiday so I could return for The Harvest Festival. This important annual festival is tied to the seasons, and dates back to the pagan times in Britain.

Once the last of the crops has been harvested, farming communities give thanks for the bounty of crops and food from the land, and attend a harvest festival at the local church to celebrate a successful growing season. 

It's typically celebrated on the Sunday nearest the harvest moon, and occurs close to the autumn equinox at the end of September or beginning of October. It's the closest festival to the US Thanksgiving, but has many of the same elements.

Traditionally the last sheath of the harvest was used to make a symbolic corn dolly that was created to ensure the continuation of the good crop the following year. The Saxons (5th to the 11th centuries) believed that this last sheath contained the Corn Spirit, and they would harvest around it until it was the last one standing, and it would be dried and woven into a dolly.

Different rural areas around the country would weave different symbols out of the corn, and this tradition continues to this day. 

Corn Dolly Ear-rings

I still have the pair of corn dolly ear-rings I received as a teenager from my grandmother. I don't think I've ever worn them, but I love the idea of traditional crafts commemorating beliefs from earlier generations, and the magical idea that one of mother nature's spirits was trapped inside.

We Plough the Fields

One hymn that is always sung around Harvest Time is We Plough the Fields and Scatter. It brings back such wonderful childhood memories of this time of year, and reminds me of my Mum. I used it as a basis for one of my poems that honours her battle with Alzheimer's during the time she was losing her ability to speak.

We plough the fields as wordsmiths scatter letters on the land.

You hope to grow a sentence up that isn’t weak or bland.

Watering your Ps and Qs coaxing them to sprout.

Grow gentle words to whisper or raise your voice to shout.

The barren earth dry in the sun a runway for the birds.

They peck at all the seedlings that never will be heard.

If they fly away up high and soar upon their wing,

We’ll never hear the song they stole or words you failed to sing.

About Jay Artale

Jay Artale abandoned her corporate career to become a digital nomad and full-time writer. She’s an avid blogger, podcaster, and nonfiction author helping travel writers and travel bloggers achieve their self-publishing goals. She shares tips, advice, and inspiration to writers with an independent spirit at her website Birds of a Feather Press, and documents her travels and artistic endeavours at her blog Roving Jay. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter.

Jay is the author of A Turbulent Mind: A Poetry Collection of a Mother's Journey with Alzheimer's.

A Short Poem About Abundance shared by Sarah Raplee McDermed

 

by Theodore W. Higginsworth

The Many Faces of Abundance

 by Courtney Pierce

How many of you slogged through the 1980s with the rich impropriety of prime-time soap operas? I certainly did, and I even recorded them on VHS tapes for the privilege of watching these scoundrels over and over again. Remember Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Dallas, Falcon Crest, and Dynasty? Many of these TV programs were designed to make us envy lavish lifestyles and cheer on the cat fights for whose power superseded money. Oh, how I loved when those scoundrels who got their comeuppance for greed, dishonesty, manipulation, and fraud. But they looked so good in their designer outfits, coiffed hair, and diamond earrings.

Wickedly delicious.

We’ve been trained from birth that being rich is about having a lot of money. It's been promoted, by design, as a way to polarize us as people. The more you earn, the more you're cheated out of it: through income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, endless fees, higher interest rates, and increased cost of goods and services. If the elite can get rid of the pesky, free-thinking middle class, then they'll enjoy ultimate power and control over the minions.

So they believe. But they underestimate people's ability awaken to the truth.

As the saying goes, there are two happy days for the "uber elite": the day when they buy a boat or a plane, and the day they sell it when their knees get whacked. Luxuries can easily become burdens when life takes a downturn.

But what if money becomes worthless? Then what?

Think Venezuela. It used to be a country of abundance: awesome food, and resource independence, Its citizen enjoyed a vibrant economy, just like the USA a mere two years ago. Under the current tyrannical government, Venezuelans roll barrels full of worthless cash into the store just to get a loaf of bread—if a loaf of bread is available. The working people are forced to eat birds, rats, cats, and dogs to get sustenance. Their de-valued currency means nothing. 

Somehow, though, the government elites have lights, fresh food, and lavish homes behind walls and fences. Average citizens burn furniture to keep warm and live in the dark after sunset.

But the people are fighting back. They've had enough of the corruption. And they're making progress.

Here in Montana, there are a plethora of millionaires and billionaires among the working folk, farmers, and ranchers. Some earned their wealth. Others inherited it. To be honest, you wouldn't know who's who. They all dress the same.

People are moving to Montana from all over the world, hence our skyrocketing housing prices and rents. The building rate is crazy as people want be here to protect their wealth and freedom. We’re one of those desired free states. We don’t wear masks. We don’t mandate the VAX, and we don’t poison kids with divisive racism. We love this country and its Constitution, and we truly respect our fellow man, no matter how much money they do or don't have. We wouldn't know, anyway, because everyone looks the same. We're just people.

The vistas are amazing here, without a doubt. Glacier National Park is a national treasure and is only a stone’s throw away. Yellowstone National Park is only a few hours further. This state cradles an abundance of Nature’s bounty. This is the abundance we moved here to enjoy. We hike the trails in boots and backpacks, and we rough it in the wild in tents. We all yearn for the hooves of the mountain goats pounding through the campsite in the middle of the night.

But there’s a higher truth in our abundance as humans.

The real skivvy is that we're all born with abundance of benevolence in our DNA, aka "God Genes.' We’re actually magical beings that have telepathy and a deep understanding of the universe. But humans have been hijacked. Over the centuries, we’ve been dumbed down: our food and water purposely poisoned, our minds manipulated by mainstream media and school, and our money stolen by the Federal Reserve to keep us indebted. Abundance was reserved for only the chosen few, far above the one-percent.

Many shocking truths will be exposed in the coming months. And what if average Americans become very wealthy as a result of having their moral compass on a benevolent spiritual path? It's like winning the lottery. Some acquire and give; others squander and consume. We still have a little free will to make decisions.

There's actually science to back up the premise.

Intuition and telepathy are gifts that are centered in our pineal gland, a precious bodily organ at the base of our brain that functions as our “third eye.” It governs our connection to spirituality and intuition. Over the decades, this gland has been purposely calcified by fluoride: in our water, in our toothpaste, and in the treatments at our dental visits. Why? We were willing sheep with our ignorance from misinformation. There are those who don't want us to have these gifts.

Conspiracy theories are now confirmed conspiracies. That's only the start.

There is good news! The world is waking up to the many, many lies that have been fed to us on a slow drip over the years. Some may be able to handle them, others may not.

As people, the real abundance we all have, no matter the amount of our income, is our intuition, our heart, and our benevolence. Those we love, and those who love us, are precious beyond anything we can purchase. Moreover, we are able to pay attention to our inner voice when “something’s not right.” Trust that your moral compass is straight on point.

As the holidays are upon us, we must pause to take stock of our many abundances, especially with the people we love. There may still be a stall of the supply chain for Christmas, but the day isn't about presents; it's about giving of ourselves to others. Personally, I have everything I need: the love of my husband, my sisters, my in-laws, my step children, and step grandchildren. I want their world to be as good to them as mine has been to me.

My new prized investment is our garden. We raise our own vegetables, garlic, herbs, and potatoes. We hunt for elk and venison to fill the freezer. We will bring our bounty indoors this winter with a mini greenhouse. Our goal is to control our food supply—free of additives or chemicals.

We’ll heat our home through the winter with cords of wood. And when spring arrives with the retreat of the ice-melt on the lake, we’ll have fresh fish, along with the beauty of iris and tulips.

That’s abundance to us.

Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Kalispell, Montana with her husband and stepdaughter. She writes for the baby boomer audience. She spent 28 years as an executive in the entertainment industry and used her time in a theater seat to create stories that are filled with heart, humor, and mystery. She studied craft and storytelling at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. Active in the writing community, Courtney is a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association and on the Advisory Council of the Independent Publishing Resource Center. She is a member of Willamette Writers, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and Authors of the Flathead. The Executrix received the Library Journal Self-E recommendation seal.

Print and E-books are available through most major online retailers, including Amazon.com.

Check out all of Courtney's books: 

courtney-pierce.com and windtreepress.com 

New York Times best-selling author Karen Karbo says, "Courtney Pierce spins a madcap tale of family grudges, sisterly love, unexpected romance, mysterious mobsters and dog love. Reading Indigo Lake is like drinking champagne with a chaser of Mountain Dew. Pure Delight."

Coming in 2022!

When Aubrey Cenderon moves to Montana after the death of her father, the peace and quiet of Big Sky Country becomes complicated with a knock on the door from the sheriff. An injured grizzly bear is on the loose and it must be eliminated before it kills again. The sheriff's insistence that she buy a gun for protection will present Aubrey with some serious soul-searching, because the grizzly-on-the-run is hunting her too . . . for a different reason.