Category Archives: people

Grateful to Share My Mother’s Wisdom Through Video/Audio with You

I am pleased to share my mother’s wisdom (for free) with all of you. Since 2013 my mother’s words have been available in print in a book, in print on Kindle, and through an Apple iBook, under the title, A House Inside of Me, see Amazon. Over this winter holiday I was finally able to transfer actual video/audio files online, and place the entire book on ahouseinsideofme.com

My mother was a beloved storyteller, a special lady from a time gone by to transcend all time. As a minister’s wife for over 60 years, she was often called to speak at dedications, funerals, births, celebrations of life, Sunday morning services, weddings and more as she brought peace and calm to people often in pain or suffering. Marian Elsie Blake offered sacred guidance for parents, families, churches, ministers, and strangers about Heaven, death, nature, love, family, social activism, and more. I frequently share her messages on Facebook to individuals who have lost a loved one. People seem to be drawn to her messages and poetry as they offer wisdom and appropriate words to individuals during a time of stress, pain, sadness, or celebration during life.

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Grateful For Anticipation of New Beginnings

We are now in the New Year of 2022. I always find it exciting to begin something new. I love the earliest parts of each day with the glow of the morning sunrise and the quiet across the land. The photo I selected for this post is from the JFK airport in New York City – an east coast sunrise which I typically never get to witness. My son and I saw a Broadway Show that had been repeatedly rebooked due to Covid and the shutdowns of travel and large gatherings of people. We left the mild climate of Southern CA and went directly into snow and ice and cold. I felt like I was in a ghost town and only the beauty of this sunrise warmed me.

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Walking The Pathway to Gratitude

I have been posting for eleven (11) months now, 160 posts to date, as I walk and discover my own pathway to gratitude so I want to pause and reflect upon the meanings beneath my messages to you. First, living in a State of Gratitude is not always easy and takes being in a State of Mindfulness I would say.

I prefer to be mindful when I blog about gratitude. Intellectually, it feels the best!

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Grateful For Artists In Our Life

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Laguna Beach, CA Annual Winter Fantasy Sawdust Art and Craft Festival. For over 30 years approximately 200 artists have shared their arts, culture and passion with the public to create a winter fantasy. They have baby animals to pet and feed, musical groups playing live music, glass artists blowing beautiful glass creations, jewelers, painters, woodworkers, potters, beautiful hats and garment creations, a marionette show, nutcrackers walking around, visits with Santa, and many more handmade treasures and gifts. It was simply a magical, uplifting, fun, enchanting day.

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Grateful For Caregivers, Caretakers, And Helpful People

During the holiday season, I observe so many thoughtful and helpful people all around us. Typically we learn helpfulness from our parents, especially our mothers, who create magical moments for us as children with visits to colorful locations, cooking our favorite foods, decorating our homes, giving presents, and preparing us through their models to be kind and giving individuals as we grow up.

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Through Gratitude We Are Generous (STICKS Poem)

This is the season of generosity. My mother (Marian E. Blake) composed a poem, “STICKS – Four Men Sitting Around A Fire”, that captures this spirit and reminds us what will happen when we act with greed. Just like the season of Thanksgiving, the various religious practices during the month of December should be practiced year round, yet we seem to get busy with life and we forget about the importance of giving to others.

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A Day For Gratitude

Today is Thanksgiving – a day for Gratitude! This is typically a memorable day for all because of time with friends and family and, THE FOOD. The various parades, and runs, and shopping beginning for the holidays, new movies, lots of photos taken, and generally great times happen on this day each year.

As I reflected on this day for all of us, I paused to reflect on why each day can not be like this day? Is gratitude seasonal? Gratitude should be practiced each and every day don’t you think?

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I Am Grateful For My Spiritual Journey To Health And Wellness

I am nearing four and one-half years of health after multiple cancers and surgeries in 2017. I am grateful that I am still healthy, but never do I take my present health for granted. The source stimulating these postings is my joy with life, and my sincere appreciation and happiness to have time to “pay it forward” to others while here.

As many people do, I read and ask questions, and share with others to learn about healing and health and wellness. I can tell you from experience that there is a lot to learn and practice to maintain health. Sometimes I stray from my devotion to a healthier lifestyle, better eating, mindful practices with toxins and GMOs in our world, and Western and Eastern medical beliefs. But, when my CT scans and labs remind me that my body chemistry is changing, I jump back into better practices and pray.

People ask me what am I doing to stay so healthy? I tell them what I am learning, but many people do the same things I do, and much more, and, sadly, many people continue to die around me which makes me so sad, and gives me a feeling of survivor’s guilt. I want to do more to help others so I keep posting happy ideas, and peaceful thoughts. Also, I post joyful events like playing with your pets, and enjoyable moments with family and friends or beautiful trips deep into nature.

This month I am pulling all of my postings, videos, blogs, tweets, and Instagrams into more of a common “digital media” composite so that I may share what I believe and what I have learned thus far. If this is helpful to you, please let me know. If you would like more from me, please let me know.

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Grateful For Today As Tomorrow Is Not Promised

This is a special week for me as tomorrow is Veteran’s Day and my father was a WWII Marine, and it is also my mother’s death anniversary. My parents were remarkable people and I miss them very much.

In the video that follows, I repeat a poem my mother would frequently say to us, Tomorrow is Not Promised. Today I feel such gratitude for the parents I had.

As “Tomorrow Is Not Promised”, I encourage you to express your appreciation to your parent(s) today as well, as we never know what may happen tomorrow!

With deep gratitude, make the very best of today!

#gratitudelite