Practicing the Art of Abundance

At a recent meeting for my women's writing group, the subject of abundance came up. One of the members had brought a book full of poetic phrases designed to capture the essence of abundance. I left that day challenged to seek out and appreciate more fully that which is abundant in my little world. 

I've been giving it some thought and on the day that I locked my keys inside my car and had to wait two hours for my rescuer to come and unlock the car, I thought about how nice an extra set of car keys would have been right about then! I suppose I thought having one set more than I needed was an abundance I didn't need but I'm thinking differently now.  (I USED to have a hide-a-key under my car bumper but it is likely to be rusting away on the bottom of some pot hole ridden back road. And there is SUPPOSED to be an extra key tucked into a drawer at home but it has gone AWOL) 

Later that day, home and feathers slowly un-ruffling, as I put away my groceries I thought about abundance some more. 

A fruit bowl piled high with shiny apples
 and plump juicy oranges
A fresh vibrant colored array of vegetables
 piled high in the produce drawer of the fridge
A freezer stocked piled with food 
and a pantry lined with an assortment 
of bright colored packages and cans
A kitchen full of healthy yummy food products
            This is abundance.

When I take my cup of fresh brewed coffee, 
mixed with sweet heavenly cream 
and I tiptoe out onto the front porch, 
barefoot and still in my jammies,
when I park myself on my 
kaleidoscope colored patio chair 
and breath in the still cool freshness of a new day, 
when I turn my face to the sun and let it kiss my face 
and let the breeze tousle my hair
               This is abundance.

On laundry day when the piles of clothes seem endless
and there is no more room on the clothes line 
When the sheets need changing on the bed 
and I must decide between flannel or cotton
or whether or not to add  the extra blanket
When it's time to get the fans back out of storage 
and I have one for upstairs and one for down
              This is abundance.

Abundance is noticing just how many Bibles we have, 
when I know there are others who are rejoicing over having 
just one page of a Bible.
Abundance is not complaining about 
having to dust the library shelves
where rows of books are assembled.  
Abundance is having gas in my tank, 
enough to get me to places I want to be, 
not just the places I need to be.
Abundance is staring at the shoes in my closet 
trying to decide which ones to wear today,
knowing others go barefoot.

Abundance is...
    fresh drinking water
       a lawn to mow
          a house to clean
             a meal to cook
               a garden to grow
A family to love.


All the things I might take for granted...
               come from living a life of.....
                                                        Abundance. 

A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands. Proverbs 14.1