Category Archives: academic search

The Weight of Thoughts : Grateful Thoughts (An Essay)

Recently, my dear friend shared a photo of “The Weight of Thoughts”, Bronze Sculpture by the Belgian artist Thomas LeRooy. The word “Thoughts” and the “big head” caught my eye.

Why are people talking about this sculpture?

How are “thoughts” and “Gratitude” linked?

Look at what has happened since LeRooy created this work of art around 2008.

Thomas LeRooy, when planning for his 2009 Braindance exhibition, discovered he could not plan this work… he felt such a fight between his head and body when thinking about his ideas, he ended up creating four sculptures, big and heavy, to express what he felt inside, his “Thoughts”. Those sculptures (big heads) continue to take on new meanings by people as they view the art. People discuss the WEIGHT of thinking. Why?

It is difficult to define or explain “What are thoughts?” and “Where do Thoughts Occur?”

The answers to these questions are relevant to GRATITUDE . Fields of Embodied Cognition and Cognitive Psychology discuss the thinking process in the brain, in the body, through sensory and physical experiences, and so forth.

In my opinion, experiences leading to descriptions of GRATITUDE also are derived from physical experiences, sensory events, through connected thoughts, and out of body experiences.

The WEIGHT of posting about “gratitude” is hard, as gratitude is not the same for everyone. Within this blog, #gratitudesquared.com, the reader will find there are three levels of gratitude: #gratitudezero, #gratitudelite, and #gratitudeultra, defined in an earlier post.

This topical essay (the Weight of Thoughts: Grateful Thoughts) falls under the #gratitudeultra category, and leads to HEAVY THINKING as well.

Why is this sculpture a pivotal image for gratitude readers?

Because along your journey to gratitude you may find you will go deeper and deeper into exploring how gratitude impacts your life with very meaningful and positive outcomes. Spend some timing thinking about your journey thus far. List meaningful outcomes you have experienced.

You may also discover, as did LeRooy, that your capacity to describe your gratitude feels limited by your own words, or by what you will feel inside. Take a moment to try to describe, What exactly is gratitude to you? Give several examples of your own gratitude.

You may only discover a particular image, captured through a snapped photo, or an emotion expressed through a particular song or poem can adequately express a profound moment of gratitude. I have found recently that my gratitude best comes through the music I hear from my distant past I shared with my parents years ago. Why I am returning to old songs I have not heard for years, I do not know, but when I am full of joy or feeling exceptionally blessed, I go to music lately. What do you do emotionally that you can not accurately describe to others in words and how do you capture such? Do you choose an art form? If so, which one?

It is not uncommon to hear lectures talking about the mind, body, and soul experiences with regard to healing, as but one pathway to gratitude. There is a rich literature on these topics, beyond the scope of this post, but healing is more than just treating one’s body, isn’t it? It includes a State of Mind, and a Belief System, plus the medicine. Often when people think about their own illness, they describe it through expressions of gratitude.

The WEIGHT OF THOUGHTS sculpture, by LeRooy, stimulates conversation regarding our minds (thoughts), our bodies (with regard to illness, healing, and health for example), and souls (with regard to how we connect to other human beings as well as to God).

Thoughts are connected to gratitude: I see no other pathway. I hope you will continue to set aside some time to THINK about your own Gratitude.

This sculpture indeed seems to promote WEIGHTY THINKING. One of the readers within Facebook or Twitter noted that thinking about this sculpture gave him a headache or made him feel like his head was aching because it was growing so much larger than his body from so much thinking.

When looking for a description of this art form on Goggle it stated:

The Weight of thought by Thomas LeRooy depicts how everyone feels-a mind bogged down by its own thoughts. How our thoughts can weigh us down, eh? If only we become aware of how our thoughts. If only we could detach ourselves from our minds.
Feb. 17, 2021 Google

I imagine this is what LeRooy felt when trying to plan his work.

What do you think?

#gratitudeultra

Joy in Learning About Other Religions – Hindu

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The Malibu Hindu Temple is nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, located on 5 acres (close to Malibu Creek State Park) near Calabasas, CA (1600 Las Virgenes Canyon Road, 91302) and just a short drive from Los Angeles. It was built in 1981 and is considered one of the finest examples of a Hindu Temple in the USA. It is a significant Southern CA landmark and is free and open to the public (check the web site for exact hours, days, seasons). It is a great day trip and I recommend it highly. Please find multiple photos taken at this site.

It was interesting to note that Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. Today it is the third-largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Hindu concepts, beliefs, celebrations, food preferences, worship practices, and prayer actions may be furthered studied at multiple sites such as: Hindu concepts Hinduwebsite.com

A site I found particularly straightforward and easy to understand was:

5 things to know about visiting a Hindu temple

There are many Hindu Centers around the USA. This particular Temple was special as at the entrance (where all must remove their shoes out of respect) is a large statement as noted on the stone in the photo below:

This Temple belongs to the Hindu Community of America. It Symbolizes Their Devotion to God and Dedication to the Spiritual Uplift of Humanity.

I found JOY in visiting a place dedicated to UPLIFTING Humanity. Therefore I feel gratitude to Hindus for sharing their religion in such a beautiful location with everyone who wishes to visit.

#gratitudeultra

Intellectual Gratitude: the Symbolism of Doves During End of Life Practices

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I began my walk to gratitude when learning of an illness in 2017. In 2023, a recurrence causes even deeper reflection on end of life choice. I continue to claim good health, but it’s time to think about necessary choices. Rather than feeling sad, I experience deep gratitude as I learn about symbolism behind choice. Let me provide a few examples for you to think about for your own future.

It is unfortunate that we do not typically talk about decisions we make near the end of life, or we leave such decisions to our family or friends. As I grow older, my family members are passing, as are my friends and neighbors, and thus it is not uncommon for me to observe choices made. After a death, an early choice is what to do with the body: burial, cremation, donation for science, etc. Individuals have strong feelings/emotions, cultural and religious practices, and family histories with these decisions. Have you reflected on your own choices? On what basis did you/ will you make your decisions?

Towards a deeper understanding of “choice”, I searched the origins of the common phrase: “ashes to ashes, dust to dust”, and was pleased to learn that Genesis18:27, Job 30:19, and Ecclesiastes 3:20 in the Bible directly refer to “ashes” or “dust”. I thought it wonderful that in the Bible either burial or cremation is supported by Scripture. Family traditions, economic circumstance, location, density of population, etc. also determine choice. In other words, it is up to each of us to choose what we wish for our bodies, after death.

Many people have different opinions and emotions when thinking about where/what will happen to their body after death. Some persons do not like to imagine “fire” , while others do not like to think about a body in the ground for years. The memory of cremation of the Jewish population during the Holocaust is strong and would cause one to prefer burial, but people are changing, The preference for burial in a blanket under an old Oak tree is becoming popular (more natural return to the earth) for some, versus being embalmed, placed in a casket, and then into a vault to be preserved forever. These visual images cause discomfort in many persons, so typically they put off the decision of what to do, choice. Is there a strategy through which we may encourage persons to make necessary choices?

After evaluating my choices, I am satisfied that my body returning to dust (burial) or ashes (cremation) would yield a similar outcome: separating the physical body from energies within the body, the soul (consciousness).

This outcome is directly addressed by most religions. That is, after death the body (vessel) is no longer of importance, rather the “soul” or “spirit” is the emphasis. In Christian religion, the Trinity conception of God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) is often the focus. What happens to one’s “Soul” at death is what matters.

Some religions/persons focus further on the physical body. That is, some religious practices frown upon destroying the physical body which would be an argument against cremation, but religious scholars, priests, and others do believe that God (Catholicism) can resurrect a body, even if cremated. So, again, the choice is up to you.

Personally, during my lifetime I have observed both practices. Each choice seems to make the family and friends very sad during the funeral service. However, in recent years I discovered a practice that makes me joyful, though still sad when a person dies. I discovered the peace and hope that “Doves” create when introduced to family and friends. Thus, I offer introducing doves during end of life services as one strategy to ease the pain of choice.

When we buried my mother, my son requested doves, released at graveside. I will never forget the feeling I had as I released one dove and watched it join the flock of doves, which circled above, and then flew to the Heavens. It was a beautiful, moving memory.

Recently, on the day of cremation, I had the opportunity to again see the release of doves. Rather than experiencing sadness at the thought of the concurrent cremation, persons present experienced peace, hope, and love as the doves escorted the deceased to the Heavens. During that day, I learned the symbolism behind releasing one dove, four doves, 100 doves etc. I was so moved that when I returned home, I read the history of the white dove in religion during funerals, and decided that my choice was to have doves at my end of life.

Doves offer such beautiful moments, and give us joyful memories. The visual images of a flock of doves during a cremation, or graveside burial are everlasting. Doves are symbolic angel escorts guiding our souls to God.

Because I still feel deep gratitude to each little dove I have observed at funerals, I made a video to capture/explain dove symbolism at end of life. Please enjoy. Then consider: What choice will you make someday?

Doves Represent Peace, Hope, and Love Guiding Souls to Heaven

#gratitudeultra

Joy in Keeping Books Alive at THE LAST BOOKSTORE

Grateful That Peace Surpasses All Understanding!

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Five years and one month ago, I was ill and expected to die soon. Yet, obviously even today I am still very much alive and am expressing my gratitude for such through my postings to you on my gratitudesquared.com

Recently, and unfortunately, now I am facing uncertain illness again and am finding it hard to express gratitude in the face of my fear.

But, yesterday something happened to strengthen my resolve towards gratefulness, just in time to offset the strength of my growing fear as a multi-hour biopsy procedure approaches tomorrow.

In brief, I was engaging in a chat with a dear friend about health and wellness and she remarked that my parents and grandfather were with me in spirit at that time. This felt like a nice statement and I did not think much more about it at that time. About five minutes after, as I was driving alone in LA traffic, the phrase “peace that surpasses all understanding” came to mind. I rushed home to google the origin of this phrase because I had not heard that phrase for years, if at all. I could not remember, and certainly I do not speak like that. I should note, however, my father was a Baptist Minister, a relevant fact to this story I believe!

Thanks to my computer and Google, when I put that exact phrase in, I learned such interesting facts that I had to share with all of you. I learned that Paul the Apostle had written a letter to the Philippians (which is now known as the country of Greece) in which he instructed people to remain steadfast in their faith. Paul’s letter is the eleventh book of the New Testament, and Paul wrote it while in prison for preaching. Of course, I wondered what does this have to do with me and/or my health?

Those of you who know me know that I am very analytical, a researcher, and make decisions and take actions based on data, so I kept probing this phrase… My years of Ph.D. training were kicking in full blast. In brief, I just had to research this phrase, and learn the significance of such. This is what I am discovering even as I type this blog to you:

Paul wrote to the people In Philipi to express his GRATITUDE! Go to learnreligions.com for more information. It seems serendipitous that this verse is related to Gratitude! Out of all the verses in the Bible, this one emerged…
The Book of Philippians “conveys a powerful message about the secret of contentment… in every circumstance he had learned to be content“.
The main and consistent theme of this eleventh book is JOY! Joy and gratitude go hand in hand along one’s journey to a State of Gratitude. How wonderful…
The main message of Philippians 4 is encouragement. I felt I certainly needed that message to face the biopsy again after five years of no new tumors.
Important principles in Philippians 4 are peace and joy in all circumstances. Indeed, I was looking for peace of mind for the upcoming procedure. And, I must admit it is hard to find joy in the face of fear. This verse became my reminder.
My verse: Philippians 4:7 is “peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds…” (KJV). See the relevance of this below.

Does anyone see the connections between this verse and my daily practices of Gratitude, joy, happiness, contentment? I do. I felt like I had received a message.

I wanted to learn more so I went to Pulpit Commentary on biblehub.com. Note: I am keeping this posting short so I will not explain verse 6 above my particular verse 7, but 6 is also relevant to my circumstance (“in nothing be anxious“).

Verse 4:7, as explained on biblehub, flows from God’s gracious presence. The “peace” passes ALL understanding. The peace “transcends the reach of human thought… it can be known only by the inner experience of the believer.” Further, “thoughts issue from the heart… in Hebrew Scriptures, the heart is regarded as the seat of the intellect, not of feeling only.” What a densely worded and impactful verse! I read it over and over again to gain a better understanding of that particular message.

So, how did this experience/verse appearing in my mind… impact me or manifest through my actions as I prepare myself mentally for the biopsy?

I am now at peace for tomorrow. Surprisingly…
Because I understand that the peace I now feel surpasses my understanding, and transcends beyond what my own human mind may comprehend, I am at peace. In fact, I now understand that this peace is so deep that I am unable to fully comprehend it – I must accept this peace through faith alone.
I am yielding my mind to my heart. My heart is in control now and tomorrow.
My intellect is given by faith to my heart. This is an interesting experience for me as I continually need to see the data and the evidence to trust, believe, and act.
The transcendent feeling I am experiencing today for tomorrow can be known only to me. This is such a true statement. As something like the following was said in the Nixon years, only when you have been in the deepest valley can you appreciate the experience on the mountaintops. I personally find that serious illness drives one to their faith to a greater extent than before, and when additional health issues re-emerge, only those experiencing the decision-making processes can know the depth of fear and sorrow or joy. Looking death in the face and making decisions to speed or prolong life is sobering at best and sacred overall.
For more than five years now I have explained my ongoing health to others as a consequence of not only doctors’ surgeries, traditional and alternative treatments, and a variety of life practices, but also due to God’s Grace and spiritual beliefs.
I typically say: “I can not explain why I am still alive.” “But, I do know that there is a spiritual component to my continued health”.

Yesterday, what happened to me while driving in the busiest of LA traffic was spiritual… again… It is a unique experience to experience…. it gave me joy, peace, hope, and understanding. It took my fear and anxiety away.

I am so grateful that I have peace that surpasses all understanding.

I hope I have adequately explained the meaning of the phrase that emerged in my mind yesterday………. through this posting. The meaning became clear, at least, to me. I know in reality that some of you will understand this posting fully as you have reached out to me with your own stories of life and death… Perhaps, in time, others will also come to understand… I pray most of you may never need to do so.

As I summarize this posting today, at least one person appeared to understand the significance of this phrase as well it seemed…

That is, one of my Jewish friends, read my post and listened to me calmly but joyfully relay my experience yesterday, after which she very simply and quietly said, “I might have to start reading the books of the New Testament”. I found this to be a significant statement, coming from a nonbeliever…

Blessings to you. My deepest and sincere gratitude I send to those of you who are holding me up with positivity and prayer! I thank you.

#gratitudeultra

Grateful For Independence

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Today I am celebrating my independence from ordinary life as I continue my walk in a State of Gratitude. Approximately one and one-half years ago I started my pathway to Gratitude and it changed my life. I can tell you story after story about so many moments of pure wonder and delight in my life now that I am on this new pathway. I am not the only person who is practicing Gratitude these days. Check out Instagram posts such as #gratitudemakestheattitude, and many others to learn that practicing Gratitude provides:

portals to suddenly open in your life for a brief moment, then close up again
experiences of serendipity during a day when you least expect something awesome
insights into meaningful ordinary experiences that bring great joy and pleasure
sheer happiness when engaging with friends, family, and loved ones
deeper understandings of life events, and relationships
genuine satisfaction with everyday interactions with your neighbors, and strangers
opportunities for deeper study of spirituality, God, and various religious practices

My blogs will continue to fall into three broad categories: #gratitudezero (pets, foods, places, simple things), #gratitudelite (experiences with people, everyday events, momentary insights), and #gratitudeultra (often resulting from a spiritual or academic inquiry into the deeper origins of gratitude).

But today I hope to remind everyone that Gratitude will bring you a new found independence within your own life. Why?

Because when you are grateful you are more positive, more hopeful, more joyful, and more thankful for what you have in your life.

Practicing Gratitude replaces the negativity, the fear, the worry, the sadness, the anxiety, and even pathways leading to depression in your life.

I invite you to try it yourself! Be grateful! Be positive! Become more independent through your new outlook on life!

Try it and let me know how your own attitude begins to change…

Happy Independence Day to You through Gratitude!

#gratitudeultra

Grateful For Wisdom When Ending The Journey Of Life: An Overview

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I have always loved elderly people because they are wise and have wonderful stories to tell, if you listen. Unfortunately, we often get too busy during our own life’s journey to notice that older persons among us need more care from us. It is as though our journeys through life demand extra care when we begin our life, and again when we are nearing the end-of-life.

This posting includes my observations for you as a daughter, mom, friend, and health care professional regarding End-of-Life Care.

It is well known that people tend to like to stay at home as their journey through life comes to an end, but that is not always possible because of health issues, personal care needs, nutritional requirements, family distances, and so on. So, as we all age, the questions before us are: “What do we do?” “How do we plan for ourselves as we grower older and need extra care?”

Why am I posting this information for us today? Because I have watched my younger sister, my mom, and my dad pass away. Now I am watching dear friends and neighbors age, and I myself am growing older. As I was recently listening to Amanda Stead’s lecture on End-of-Life Care, I felt so grateful that Amanda reminded me, and helped me to summarize the wisdom we all have access to for our own planning:

We are all going to die at the end of our life journey, so how does one prepare for the best end of life? There are multiple resources to inform us about end-of-life care just as there is knowledge regarding beginning life, as in birth, parenting, etc.
As each of us, or our family members and friends age, it is important to learn about choices we each have regarding Hospice care, or Palliative care. Our choices do not need to be permanent as our health and care needs will change over time, but it is better to plan ahead and learn about such choices before being faced with an emergency.
As one ages there needs to be decisions regarding independence, dignity, spiritual preferences, psychological, emotional needs, ethical decisions, and personal wishes.
We all need to have people (family members or friends), who are our spokespeople in case we are unable to communicate clearly. We, or others, need to have an advanced directive (a written document) regarding our wishes for end-of life care.
We all need to discuss realistic outcomes as we anticipate what may be coming in our future. Thus, before you become ill or lose the ability to communicate, you need to talk about what you imagine to be a good plan for your End-of-Life. You might begin such conversations by answering the question: “What matters to me most at the end of life is ______________________________________?”
Sharing information is so important during this time. Information regarding your location preferences for where you wish to be as you grow older is important. Your financial costs, insurance coverage, wish for pain control, treatment preferences for eating, feeding, and swallowing should be identified.
Your personal wishes, and cultural values are important and necessary to understand and honor during this time period.
Reach out to Chaplains, Priests, Pastors, and Rabbis to incorporate your spiritual needs during these times of decision making.
Take care of the above types of decisions before you grow too old for such planning. Make sure you share your thoughts with your family and friends.
Know there is a “Dying Patient’s Bill of Rights”, and an abundance of resources provided through Medicare to assist you. Don’t put off till tomorrow what you should do today!

In the future, I plan to introduce a new “gratitude category” regarding end-of-life care as I am so grateful that information is available to me to provide for my dignity, spiritual, medical, psychological, and emotional needs as I grow older. In the context of generational differences in perception, as well as societal changes in our family constellations, it is more important than ever before to allow the elderly to prioritize their needs for independence as well as dependence on others.

I am grateful for knowledge regarding end-of-life care. How ’bout you?

For a spiritual perspective on End-Of-Life, let me conclude this blog with a poem written and read by my mother from her Book of Poetry titled, A House Inside of Me. The relevant poem for today is, I Don’t Want to Die I Like It Here. When you click on this link you will hear this poem. It seems relevant, in a more personal style of writing, to our topic today.

At this time in your life, What Matters Most to you for Planning? Please think about it as I am watching friends dealing and struggling with these issues right now.

#gratitudelite

Gratitude for Power, Hope, and Optimism in a Song

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As I watch the horror of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, I am deeply moved by the people singing. So often during times of despair throughout history we hear “group sing”, i.e., we saw people singing together in Italy across their balconies, through activism when marching during civil rights, after terrible tragedies of bombings or mass shootings, as well as when inspired by grand speeches in town squares.

What is it, I wonder, about “the Song” to bond people together, to give promise, to inspire in the face of hopelessness?

Continue reading →

So Grateful For Celebrations of 2.22.22 Day Today!

Gratitude Squared

Category Archives: academic search

The Weight of Thoughts : Grateful Thoughts (An Essay)

Joy in Learning About Other Religions – Hindu

Intellectual Gratitude: the Symbolism of Doves During End of Life Practices

Joy in Keeping Books Alive at THE LAST BOOKSTORE

Grateful That Peace Surpasses All Understanding!

Grateful For Independence

Grateful For Wisdom When Ending The Journey Of Life: An Overview

Gratitude for Power, Hope, and Optimism in a Song

So Grateful For Celebrations of 2.22.22 Day Today!

Guide to Gratitude