Year Four in My Five-Year Quotebook

"I enjoy collecting quotations. When I find

a choice one I pounce on it like a lepidopterist.

My day is made. When I lose one because I did

not copy it out at once I feel bereft."

R.I. FITZHENRY, The David & Charles Book of Quotations

In January 2022, Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like An Artist fame, wrote about a five-year-diary he started using as a commonplace notebook for quotes. His aim was to write down a quote a day. Liking his idea and the notebook he used, I promptly ordered a copy—in red, his was blue—and, thus, I began to curate my own five-year collection.

Here it is January 2025, at the start of my fourth year, and I'm still enjoying this little exercise. I don't especially go looking for quotes but rather they come to me—whether it's through a book I'm reading or whilst (I love this English word) browsing on social media, or whether it's from a snippet of conversation overheard in a café or on the radio.

When I ordered the diary in 2022, at first I thought I'd made a mistake. I was more than a little dismayed to find it so very tiny in size—I forgot to check the dimensions before buying (about 6.5 x 3.5 inches). Still it was such a pleasing little book. I liked the feel of it in my hand. Beautifully bound with a cloth hard cover, boasting a satin ribbon to mark the spot, the diary is elegant and compact. Reminiscent of those childhood diaries so many of us wanted and rarely filled, minus the little key and lock, this diary came in three colours: blue, black, and red (I picked the red - it's more pink than red). Alas, from my quick scan on Amazon, they are currently unavailable.

"Those blank lines serve as a gentle encouragement

to live all the days of my life with intention."

SARAH K. BUTTERFIELD, from an article read on Medium.com

I did wonder at first how Austin Kleon could stick to just one quote a day from the dozens of possibilities that tromp across our path. Perhaps that's why he chose a tiny diary rather than a sprawling notebook. I began to see how it can help a person to focus in and narrow down, to listen for that one 'just what I need' line that breaks through the chatter. You write that one down. That line that expands the mind, thrills the spine, makes you burst out loud laughing, or causes you to breathe in and calm yourself, resting a minute before moving on.

This pint-size diary with a mere six short lines per entry has turned out to be the perfect proportion.

At the end of five years, I will have collected 1,826 quotes (includes one Leap Year). Already it's fun to browse through. Lots of favourites, a worthy collection, I'd say. To Austin Kleon, 'I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks' for this wonderful and almost cheeky pint-size acquisition. It sits by my bedside with a designated coloured pen—a different colour each year—a little habit that brings pleasure each day.

"I love (quotations) because it is a joy to find thoughts

one might have, beautifully expressed with much

authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself."

MARLENE DIETRICH

In this little celebratory post of my growing collection of quotations and their authors, I have scanned my January selections from the last three years, hand picking a few for those of you who also adore a good quote. I hope you enjoy.

Jan 2nd, 2025

A Little Writing Humour

"Paige Turner", would be the best author

name ever, just saying.

ROSS FRASER, as seen on social media

Jan 3rd, 2024

A Little 'Carry On' Wisdom

"Because even with the dark parts and the

light parts and the good parts and the bad parts,

dinner must still be served."

PATTI CALLAHAN, Once Upon A Wardrobe, p. 102

 

Jan 4th, 2022

A Little Plan

He: Aren't you terrified of what 2022 could be like?

Everything is so messed up...

She: I think it will bring flowers.

He: YES? WHY?

She: Because I'm planting flowers.

 As Seen on Social Media

Jan 15th, 2024

A Chin Up Reminder

"Because you see so much to make you sad,

that doesn't mean it is your duty to be unhappy."

HELEN MACINNES, While Still We Live, p. 228

Jan 17th, 2022

Hopeful Line

"I dwell in possibilities."

EMILY DICKINSON

Jan 17th, 2025

For Those of a Certain Age

"When I was a kid, we didn't have 'influencers'.

We watched a singing frog that dated a pig

and a grouch that lived in a trashcan.

It was a simpler time."

THE CANDIDLY, on Instagram

Jan 30th, 2023

A Whispered Prayer

"Even in the darkness we will trust :

that our lives are still in your hands."

from Common Prayer, A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, p. 243

❦

Here's wishing you more than a few quotable moments

in your week ahead,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Graphic credit:

glitter-graphics.com

My blogging schedule:

I blog on Fridays

A Thousand Moments

"Food for the body is not enough.

There must be food for the soul."

DOROTHY DAY

Someone recently posed the writing prompt, What's in your hand? For me today it's this notebook* covered with a gorgeous floral design. A veritable summer garden. The colours leapt out at me during a recent browse in the conservatory gift shop we visited recently. I was smitten. I certainly don't need another notebook for my not so secret stash in the desk drawer. So I laid it back down—reluctantly. As you can see, I circled back, scooped up two copies and beelined for the checkout. Already I knew one would be for myself and one for a dear writing friend.

In my note when giving it to her, I mentioned being inspired by Nigel Slater's newest memoir A Thousand Feasts, Small moments of joy...a memoir of sorts. I liked his idea of recording those small moments that feed the soul like a feast. These notebooks could be perfect for jotting such moments. My friend liked the idea and mentioned that Nigel's title reminded her of another book One Thousand Gifts, A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. Oh yes, it was quite popular and enjoyed by many, including myself, when it came out years ago.

I wondered how many other books shared a similar title. A quick search listed a handful, including Mary Oliver's collection of poetry A Thousand Mornings and Zondervan's The Book of a Thousand Prayers. Plus, a third book I've neither read nor heard of called Morning Coffee Reflection - 1000 Things to Think About. A thousand of anything enlivens the imagination and creates a sense of expanse. And I began to wonder what it might be like to curate such a collection as a thousand gifts, a thousand feasts, never mind a thousand mornings or a thousand prayers. I'd want to dip into such collections - what treasures they would hold.

It reminds me of the time decades ago when I began writing a gratitude journal, where I wrote down five things every evening of whatever I felt grateful for in that day. This little habit changed my life in such a positive way. I began to pay attention. I began being more grateful for the many things that came my way every single day. Things I'd never really noticed or given thanks for. I could hardly wait to write down each evening what I'd seen, heard, and enjoyed. I still have that tiny notebook and browse through it once in a while. And it still holds the joy of those moments I wrote about so long ago.

Perhaps it's time to take up a new challenge for this new year. Perhaps it's a time to record some of those luminous joy moments that show up in my life as good gifts from the God above. Not so much to remind myself to be grateful—I learned that years ago—but to gather those beautiful moments that "have given pleasure before they disappear", as Nigel says. These "brief celebrations, each one a tiny feast" that feed my soul in an "increasingly darkening world"—also Nigel. Letting the joy of them push back the darkness, letting the joy of them strengthen me so I may keep calm and carry on.

My Thousand Moments. It may be only a few dozen small things that fit in this small but gorgeous notebook. Nowhere near a thousand, but it's a place to start.

______________
*PS: Someone asked about the notebook. It's published by Peter Pauper Press and is called the Peony Garden Journal. Can be found on Amazon.

❦

Wishing you a beautiful day and—in the words of my

beautiful friend, Susan—"a thousand magical moments". 

Brenda

Photo credit:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Blogging schedule:

I post on Fridays

My Simple Reading Goal for 2025

"There are many little ways to enlarge your world.

Love of books is the best of all."

attributed to JACQUELINE KENNEDY

I'm more than ready for a new year of books and reading. And my reading goal for 2025 is simple and loose-knit. I want to read from my own bookshelves as much as possible before acquiring more (but please don't hold me to that 😉). And I want to tackle the roughly 130 to 150 books currently on my shelves that have not yet been read. They include brand new acquisitions, gifts, library sale books, and thrift store finds. In my view, it never hurts to have a grand pile waiting in the wings, and it makes me happy to contemplate the possibilities and adventures yet to come.

On my shelves are also books (around 700 to 800) that I have read—many are longtime favourites, others are newer to the roster—and I'm interested in revisiting a few of them as well. I know from past experience there are books that should be read in their 'season'—i.e., when it's the right time to read them, when we're ready to receive them, and when we need their wisdom, beauty, strength, or humour. I will continue to use that as my rule of thumb in selecting what to read next.

I enjoy memoirs, biographies, and inspirational/spiritual books. I like poetry, children's books, anthology collections, and artsy/creative books. Fairy tales and a bit of fantasy. Books on writing. I like books that tell stories, even when they are nonfiction or full of facts and data. I like to know how authors relate to the material they're sharing and how they work it out in their own lives. I read a lot of novels, including historical fiction—novels based on historical figures and events but told with artistic license. I have a special interest in these in this season of reading. And, of course, mysteries and whodunits continue to be a staple in my reading diet. Since my youth, I have loved a good mystery - nothing too gruesome, but with lots of page turning twists, unexpected endings, and great writing.

Some years I'm a slow reader, taking my time with books to savour them, reading but a few. Other years I read voraciously, as I did in 2024, almost as if I'm starving for the next adventure into another world. We'll see how my reading journey unfolds in 2025. Hence, no goals of how many to read by December 31st.

To start off, below is a tentative short list, from my own unread shelves, mixed with a few titles that I have read before but want to revisit this year. I made the selections in about 10 - 15 minutes, just reaching for titles that caught my eye, with little thought and more intuitive spontaneity.

I already know I won't be sticking to the plan to the letter—Santa brought me a generous gift card for Christmas from the local bookstore, never fret that I won't be acquiring something new to fill my heart with glee and ensure there are no empty spots on the shelves. You will note that I have already finished the first book of the new year... and, no, I'm not reading these in order, just what I feel drawn to as I go. And who knows, the list may change through the year.

☑ 1. The Winter Mystery by Faith Martin (mystery, 2018)
2. A Thousand Feasts, Small moments of joy...a memoir of sorts by Nigel Slater (nonfiction, publ.2024)
3. The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R Chambers (novel, 2024)
4. Nature Tales for Winter Nights edited by Nancy Campbell (nature tales, 2023)
5. Jane Austen at Home, A Biography by Lucy Worsley (biography, 2017)
6. Write It All Down, How to put your life on paper by Cathy Rentzenbrink (writing, 2022)
7. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (novel, 1980)
8. A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle (nonfiction, 1972)
9. Louisa May Alcott, A Personal Biography by Susan Cheever (biography, 2010)
10. Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson (fictionalized autobiography, 1945)
11. The Lives We Actually Live, 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler (inspirational, 2023)
12. Windswept: Life, Nature and Deep Time in the Scottish Highlands by Annie Worsley (2023)
13. Portrait of a Marriage by Nigel Nicolson (biography, 1973)
14. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (novel, 1853)
15. Devotions, The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (2017)
16. Nature Writing for Every Day of the Year edited by Jane McMorland Hunter (2021)
17. The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood (historical novel, 2024)
18. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (novel, 2024)
19. An Irish Country Family by Patrick Taylor (novel, 2019)
20. 1984 by George Orwell (novel, 1949)
21. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (novel, 2012)
22. Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz (novel, 2018)
23. The Only Necessary Thing, Living A Prayerful Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen, edited by Wendy Wilson Greer, (on prayer, 1999)
24. Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit (Biography/Nature, 2021)
25. Apples on a Windowsill by Shawna Lemay (meditations on still life, photography, beauty, marriage, 2024)
26. You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (memoir, 2023)
27. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (novel, 1891)
28. Rewriting Adam by Connie Mae Inglis (novel, 2021)
29. The Third Grace by Deb Elkink (novel, 2011)
30. Several short sentences about writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg (writing, 2012)
31. Vet in a Spin by James Herriot (autobiography/humour, 1971)
32. Rooms of Their Own, Where Great Writers Write by Alex Johnson (nonfiction, 2021)
33. Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman (art, 2022) 

❦

Here's hoping there will be time you can set aside in

your new year for reading to your heart's content.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Image by OlgaVolkovitskaia from Pixabay

Between the Holidays

"What a wonderful thought it is that some of the

best days of our lives haven't even happened yet."

ANNE FRANK

For me, the quieter days between Christmas and New Year's are a treasured time of year. The hubbub and excitement of getting ready for Christmas and then celebrating with loved ones is suddenly over. The peacefulness settles—the contrast is exquisite. This morning as I write, the snow falls gently over the neighbourhood, and in my heart, I am content.

In response to Anne Frank's words above, I'm thinking that for that dear girl her best days never came to be. She died in the second world war. There is a poignancy in the words that I have never stopped to consider before. At the same time, as long as we still have today, we choose to live in hope that some of our best days are yet still ahead of us. It keeps us moving forward. So yes, Anne, it is a wonderful thought.

Cozy winter reading

This time of year is made for reading. So says Nigel Slater, British author of the book The Christmas Chronicles in which I'm still deliciously immersed. It's a fat book of the author's musings, recipes, and traditions that opens early in November and meanders along through the holiday season through the deep winter to the very beginning of February. It's a lovely book to curl up with on a cold winter afternoon. And it will probably inspire you to slip off into your kitchen to stir up a dish of something lovely as a treat, or for lunch or supper.

A few books from Santa 

As per usual, Santa was most generous in the book department. I will mention only three today: Nature Tales for Winter Tales is an anthology of excerpts of various authors, which takes readers from late autumn through the cold midwinter and towards the promise of spring. It promises to be a cozy winter read. And the novel by Diana R Chambers The Secret War of Julia Child is a fiction tale based on some real life events when the master chef of French cooking 'found herself serving in the secrets trade in World War II Asia'. I never knew this about Julia, did you? Now Anthony Horowitz's latest mystery Close to Death is turning out to be another page turner—I started it last night and I'm about three quarters through. His books are ever surprising at how he makes those tales unfold. And you never really know until the end whodunit. Delightful.

Words I find comforting

"Only when the clamor of the outside world is silenced

will you be able to hear the deeper vibration. Listen carefully."

SARAH BAN BREATHNACH

"With the new day comes new

strength and new thoughts."

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

"Lord, grant me peace (and grace) above all else

no matter the circumstances I may face this year."

UNKNOWN

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

NEHEMIAH 8:10

"His mercies are new every morning."

LAMENTATIONS 3:23

I must say thank you

Before I close this last post of the year, I must take a moment to say a big, heartfelt thank you to you, my beautiful friends, who have followed and commented on my blog over the past year, over the past years. Your friendship has been a real boon in my life. And I am most eager, and grateful, for your continued company as we travel this new year together. Blogging here at It's A Beautiful Life where I write about life in my corner of the world is truly one of my favourite things to do—and you help make it that way. Thank you!

Happy New Year

As we open the door to 2025, I'm reminding myself—and you if you need it—to keep watching for those glimpses of heaven in unexpected places, to remember that beyond the pain, life continues to impart moments to soothe and heal our souls. Thank God for those moments. As the new year with its uncertainties and unknowns begins, I remind myself of those embracing words by C.S. Lewis, "Take courage, dear hearts". Take courage.

❦

"Here's to good days ahead."

That's my heart wish for you in 2025!

Heart hugs,

Brenda

Photo credit:

(Top) Image by Erika Wittlieb from Pixabay

Blogging Schedule:

I post on Fridays

A Page From My Christmas Archives: A Thrill of Hope

"Music is the divine way to tell

beautiful, poetic things to the heart."

PABLO CASALS, Spanish Cellist/Composer

There seems to be such heaviness in the world some days. News that can fill our hearts with trembling. In my own little world, things are good, we're content, yet still the larger picture of sorrow and hardship often drifts into my own space - I feel the pain of the world in my heart. As I thought about what I could share this week here on my blog, I found something I wrote four Decembers ago, back in 2020. Four years later I find the words I wrote then still speak hope and peace to my own heart. It repeats the sounding joy.

And so I offer it here today... with the fervent wish that you, too, will find your own thrill of hope in the midst of whatever you, or someone you care about, might be facing these days.

A Thrill of Hope
- written December 14, 2020

The music of Christmas carols and holiday songs have always been a favourite part of Christmas for me. There are so many favourites I could talk about—I have probably loved them all in turn. But let me take you back in time and share just one carol that touched me as a girl. It still sings in my heart to this day.

I wasn't very old, maybe seven or eight, when I first heard the lovely carol O Holy Night and loved it immediately. I remember feeling something sweet swell up on the inside of me in response to the beautiful voice soaring on the top of that enthralling melody...."A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices...". It wasn't the words that stopped me in my tracks as a youngster; it was the music that made a place for those words to live in my memory forever. As I grew up the words took on meaning, especially when hard things made my heart weary.

There are seasons when we almost fall beneath the weight of the world's woes, the sorrows and suffering of people near and far, our own personal burdens. This has not been an easy year for anyone. There comes a fresh reminder every time I hear the song—perhaps a reminder for each of us—that God is with us in the midst of these hard times and places. I never have to carry these burdens by myself. If I ask, Jesus, where are you in all this, there comes the thrill of hope as He gently reminds me a name that was given to him according to ancient texts: Emmanuel, which means 'God with us'.

Not that many days from now we have a party to celebrate, albeit in smaller than usual fashion this year. In the fairy tale, Santa Claus comes to visit once a year and returns to the North Pole, but in another story Emmanuel once came and He stayed. God With Us. He lived physically on this planet for a while—now He dwells in the hearts of humans. In those words I feel a thrill of hope. I hope you will feel it too.

❦

Wishing you joy-filled anticipation as we count down these

last few days. A Merry Christmas to you!

Heart hugs,

Brenda

PS. On Tuesday, Dec 24th, I will be guest posting on

the InScribe blog - a short seasonal piece titled A Xylophonic Vibration.

If you are interested, I'd love for you to stop by then.

Photo credits:

(Top)Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

My Winter Blogging Schedule:

I post on Fridays