December 18, 2019
Written by: Michelle Rich Goode
In 1995, Sarah Ban Breathnach published Simple Abundance: A Day Book of Comfort and Joy. I discovered it in 1997 and have shared it with family and friends over the years. My copy is very tattered and torn but well loved. It has been my touchstone almost daily for the past 22 years and, while some of the daily meditations are now dated, I find rereading them comforting and joyful nonetheless! Each month, she begins the month with a preface paragraph for the focus of the coming month, December being the month of joy. Today, when I was in yoga class, my yoga instructor shared this paragraph with us while we were in shavasana, a reflection time in yoga to allow our bodies to rest from the 90 minutes of yoga class. It seems appropriate in this month of December to share this passage as a gift of joy to you and to reflect on what is really important in this holiday season. My hope is that you find joy, now and in the New Year, no matter how large or small.
“December’s gifts – custom, ceremony, celebration, consecration—come to us wrapped up, not in tissue and ribbons, but in cherished memories. This is the month of miracles. The oil that burns for eight days, the royal son born in a stable, the inexplicable return of Light on the longest, darkest night of the year. Where there is Love, there are always miracles. And where there are miracles, there is great joy. Gratefully we weave the golden thread of the sixth principle of Simple Abundance—Joy—into our tapestry of contentment. At last we embrace the miracle of authenticity, changing forever how we view ourselves. Our daily round. Our dreams. Our destinies. Days we once called “common,” we now call “holy.”
