Everyday Sacred - by Sue Bender (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

WITH SIMPLE SHIFTS OF PERCEPTION, EACH OF US CAN FIND THE SACRED IN EVERY DAY.

Like the vibrant yet simple quilts that led her to live within the Amish community and to write about the experience in her bestselling book 'Plain and Simple', the empty begging bowl became a quiet guide. Bender traces how ordinary domestic routines yield unexpected lessons in stillness.

The book records quiet moments across Berkeley, from a cleared studio table to a café where a barista paints smiling faces in morning foam. Local potters and teachers share how cracked ceramic vessels carry their own distinct grace.

In these reflections, the author examines how quiet patience uncovers meaning in things that appear broken. Everyday Sacred turns imperfect clay vessels into reminders to accept whatever life places in the bowl.

• Simple Living: Drawing insight from a Mayan gardener working with a single machete and a Japanese tea student observing the rituals of October tea, Bender explores how unhurried patience reveals unexpected richness in daily work.
• Mindfulness: A dedicated one-hour sorting habit applied to medicine cabinets and bookshelves demonstrates how focused, manageable tasks quiet a restless mind and bring order to domestic chaos.
• Daily Practices: Stories of broken tea bowls mended with silver lacquer and studio pots cracked deliberately illustrate how visible flaws and imperfections can complete a vessel rather than diminish it.
• Also by This Author: Plain and Simple and Plain and Simple Wisdom.

From the Back Cover

WITH SIMPLE SHIFTS OF PERCEPTION, EACH OF US CAN FIND THE SACRED IN EVERY DAY.

Like the vibrant yet simple quilts that led her to live within the Amish community and to write about the experience in her bestselling book 'Plain and Simple', the em