Category Archives: family

This Is Not Goodbye My Dear – Remembering More Than 500,000 Deaths (Audio Poetry)

The global pandemic has taken so many precious lives in the USA as well as around the globe. On February 22, 2021, I provided the text of one of my mother’s poems “This is Not Goodbye My Dear” as a moment of silence to remember each of those individuals as well as their families who have died. This poem is classified as #GratitudeLite according to a post on February 28, 2021 titled, Your Choice: Gratitude Zero, Gratitude Lite, or Gratitude Ultra.

My mother was a minister too and wrote many comforting poems for members in her churches. For other poems to honor and remember your loved ones, please see a reference to her poetry below. Peace be with you on this day and always, March 24, 2021.

Huer, M.B. (2013). This is Not Goodbye My Dear,  A House Inside of Me Poetry by Marian Elsie Blake. Huer LLC, pp. 104-105.

A House Inside of Me is available on Amazon.com

The entire book of poetry is now available for free on ahouseinsideofme.com

This Is Not Goodbye My Dear – Poem by Marian Elsie Blake

Our Gratitude Stream (Audio)

On February 7, 2021 I first posted a narrative on the source of my own gratitude stream based on my Mother’s teachings and parenting of me. This is a topic that is #gratitudeultra according to the categories I described in my posting on February 28, 2021 titled, “Your Choice: Gratitude Zero, Gratitude Lite, or Gratitude Ultra.

I read the posting to several individuals who did not read because of various disabling conditions and they seemed to value the messages for #gratitude from this audio version. Please enjoy listening to how gratitude is derived from your #moralvirtue, based on the teachings of values, beliefs, and ideals molding your own character as you move toward adulthood. Some of these values are taken directly from my mother’s poetry which was published in a book, A House Inside of Me Poetry by Marian Elsie Blake by Mary Blake Huer, available on Amazon.com.

Precious Memories: Gratitude Is Free

My dad was a minister of a fundamentalist church so he was against dancing. He was against dancing because, during his generation, he felt it would lead to “problems” when dating, although before he became a paster he won dance contests (Charleston etc.) and was a wild guy. This photo captures the love between my parents during their twilight years in privacy. I am so happy I have this photo.

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Your Yellow Brick Road To Gratitude

Recently, I camped at the Hollywood RV Park in Los Angeles. An artist painted beautiful tributes to the Wizard of OZ throughout the park. This morning, I wonder where the yellow brick road will take you?

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In Memory of More Than 500,000 Deaths

Today is a day of remembrance of the more than 500,000 precious lives lost from the ongoing pandemic in the USA. Let us take a moment of silence to remember each of those individuals as well as their families and friends who have died.

My mother was a poet and one of my favorite of her poems was about death, because it is really not about dying but about life and a future. I share it with you now to give you comfort and peace for your loved ones.

This Is Not Goodbye My Dear

This is not goodbye, my dear,
That body of clay I’ve left it here.
To live in the celestial Heaven above,
Where all is peace and joy and love.

I’ll speak to you through the stars at night.
I’ll glitter and twinkle and you’ll know I’m alright.
I’ll speak to you through those drops of rain.
I’ll speak this way again and again.

I’ll speak to you through the falling snow
I’ll touch you gently and then you’ll know.
That love’s a bond that can’t be broken,
The snow flake, the rain drop, will be our token.

I’ll speak to you through the song of the bird,
In a song, a language like you’ve never heard.
I’ll speak to you through the stormy night,
Through the thunder roar and the streaks of light.

I’ll speak to you through the baby coo.
A message dear, just for you.
I’ll see in your eye that tiny tear,
Remember, my love, I’m really near.

God changed my body to another form,
His way is right have no alarm.
He changed my body from a house of clay,
To a glorified one where I’ll live fore aye.

In that rain, that snow, and those stars in the sky,
I take many forms, but I did not die.
For life’s dimension is unending,
This is not the end,
Just a grand beginning.

© Marian E. Blake

My mother was a minister too and wrote many comforting poems for members in her churches. For other poems to honor and remember your loved ones, please see her poetry below. Peace be with you on this day and always.

Huer, M.B. (2013) A House Inside of Me Poetry by Marian Elsie Blake. Huer LLC, pp. 104-105.

A House Inside of Me is available on Amazon.com

This is #gratitudelite. See the post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of gratitude categories.

I Am Taking My Mom For A Walk

Interesting story today. I have a wonderful son who lives out of State. Whenever he comes to visit his friends, he comes to visit me too. This morning we greeted our neighbor, sitting on a curb and smoking as he always does, as we walked past him. I said my usual “hello” and we exchanged updates about our neighbors, and then my son said to him, “I am taking my mom for a walk”! It sounded so funny. I guess my son views me sometimes as a pet. I walk my dog. He walks his mom!

I am grateful that my son takes me for a walk!

This is #gratitudezero. See the post on February 28, 2021 for definitions of gratitude categories.

Our Gratitude Stream

It seems important that we ask “What is gratitude”? Where does gratitude come from? Can anybody find gratitude? Is gratitude derived from giving or receiving, or both? These questions and the answers may offer us significant directions along our journeys and pathfinding to gratitude.

If we consider the event of dying as a stimulus, for example, has does knowing one is dying trigger the feeling of gratitude?  Or, if we feel deeply moved during a beautiful sunset, or when proudly watching our young child perform a speaking part in a school play, or watching a dog scratch his back on the grass, from where does this emotion we call gratitude come?  Gratitude is an emotion of thankfulness. It feels good. It is a form of pleasure, and positivity in life. It may be related to a positive mood, or memorable action, or creative idea. Gratitude has also been described as a spiritual discipline, or a grateful heart.

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Today is Your Special Day!

This is your special day! Consider what makes you happy? Do you love to travel to beautiful places like National Parks, museums, flower markets, waterfalls, lakes, gardens, churches, concerts, family gatherings? Do you enjoy being with people or alone? What do you wish for, if you had the time and/or money? What do you enjoy when you have the time? Some people love parties or movies or games. Some people love  to hike or exercise or listen to music, or all of the above. Some of you would appreciate an extra hour of sleep because you work long hours to care for your family. Whatever you are forced to do during each and every day, where might you find your joy each day? Is it tucking your children into bed, or peeking at them while they sleep? Does your pleasure come from your dog or cat greeting you when you come home? Or/and, do you find deeply moving moments as you read your Bible or experience your spiritual discoveries as you reflect upon God? Or, do you love nature, gardening, farming, and harvesting some of your own food from your own garden?  My point is that we all experience a feeling of gratitude which feels more or less the same, but the source of that feeling may come from vastly different causes or stimulations or events within each of our lives, because we are all different people.  What I am inviting you to seek is “gratitude”, your “gratitude”, during each and every day.  This blog is a guide to finding and uncovering, or seeking little moments for which you will be so grateful. The term “g squared” means that together we will multiply your gratitude, and generate a foundation on which you may build to get you through your tough times.

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Each And Every Day…

Each and every day, I feel full of gratitude because I should be dead, but obviously I’m not. In 2017, I learned I had serious illnesses and thought I had about 7-9 months of life left to live. So, I dutifully prepared all my affairs and accepted my fate, and felt I had lived a good life, wonderful career, great family and waited…. It is a funny feeling to watch other people around you die, but not die yourself. I wondered why and hence have tried to be as helpful to my family and friends and strangers as possible as I “pay it forward” with gratitude for life each and every day. Personally, I was always a planner and looked to the future. Now, I live in the present, and value each and every day, and I do not take each part of each day for granted. My illness was a gift to me. No matter what happens nearly every day, I try to seek out peace, harmony, calm, and thankfulness that I see the sun each day, and the moon at night, and feel the raindrops when it rains, or the winds and storms when they come because I am alive. Being alive beats or overcomes any negative event that may come my way. Each glance from my little Cock-a-poo doggie, every smile from my family or strangers, every story I hear, or conversation in which I engage at Starbucks, or with neighbors, or at the grocery store, fills me with pure joy because I was fortunate to experience that communication event with other people at least one more time… All of you people in my life for which I am grateful. I tell you my background story so you understand where joy comes from, but this blog is not about me, it is about all of you: People stressed by life events everyday. This blog is for you to find a brief moment to meditate, or take a breath, or pause to experience a special moment in time – to capture that memory and burn it into your life because it gave you such happiness, such joy, such pleasure. That moment let you escape briefly from your day. This is your journey in life, your journey to gratitude. Please come and discover your personal gratitude, your healing, your “wow”.

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