Category Archives: poems

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

I’m So Grateful To My Mother

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Today my mother would have been 97 years old. She was an amazing woman from a time gone by, yet her ideas and beliefs are so relevant to today. I feel so fortunate that she was my mother! Also, as I grow older, I realize how precious time is and how fast life moves for each of us. On my journey to “Gratitude” I need to constantly remind myself to “stop and smell the roses”, and to “make note of each day”. My mother’s poetry reminds me of this. Her poems titled, “Tomorrow Is Not Promised”, and “Do Not Hold a Hurt or Grudge”, as well some of the lines in her poetry, “I would not be blue because of you” and on and on teach us about Gratitude.

Recently, with my son’s help, we put my mother’s poetry online for everyone to see and listen to as my mom was videotaped reading some of her poetry. This is our free gift to all of you. Simply go to ahouseinsideofme.com and in the Table of Contents look for those poems marked (video) to see and hear Marian Elsie Blake in person.

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

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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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Gratitude For Parents’ Christmas Spirit of Love-Joy-Peace

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My mother and father were minsters and comforted many people during their lives. I am so grateful for my parents and their giving spirits. I found an old poem my mother gave to her church one Christmas, and I offer it to you this year. Marian wrote this poem for the church congregation and sent it out as a holiday gift with Bob.

The Christmas gift I would give to you

Are costly and precious, ancient but new.

They’re wrapped not with paper, tinsel or string,

But they glitter and sparkle and great happiness bring.

They’re sealed and they’re signed by God in the sky,

Sent special delivery by angels on high.

These gifts are surprises to most of mankind,

Multitudes seek them, but never to find.

God showed me His storehouse of gifts one day,

And said unto me, “Just give them away.”

But most folks won’t take them, they cannot believe

They’re free for the taking and will not receive.

JOY IS GOD’S GIFT, a state of the soul

More precious than diamonds, silver or gold.

PEACE IS GOD’S GIFT, sought since time began,

But it has eluded the wisest of men.

LOVE, GOD’S MOST MARVELOUS GIFT, I believe,

For the more that you give it, the more you receive.

There is health, and wealth, and gifts galore

I’ve named a few, there’s many more.

He alone knows just what we are needing,

And always in all ways, God’s guiding and leading.

If we accept the gifts of His love,

We’ll be showered with blessings from God up above.

God’s gifts are free, if we believe

With eyes of faith we must receive.

But do not put undying trust

In what you see with your eyes of dust.

For the best gifts in life are truly free,

Just reach out and take them and you will see.

For our holiday gift to all, my son and I are putting my mother’s poetry online for all to read and enjoy in her own words with audio and videos we collected. Simply go to the website, AHouseInsideofMe.com

Her paperback book and Kindle versions are available on Amazon.com as well as an iBook from Apple Books. The title is, A House Inside of Me: Poetry by Marian Elsie Blake (2013) by Mary Blake Huer.

With gratitude I share my mother’s wisdom and love with you. Blessings!

#gratitudeultra

Such Joy From Baby Animals

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Last week I had the opportunity to observe parents and children feeding and petting baby animals. I wondered why baby animals give us such joy when we watch them run and play, so I did a little searching to try to answer my question: Why are baby animals so cute?

I actually found sites, animalhow.com and lifegate.com, to explain “cuteness”. Apparently, we are drawn to baby animals’ big eyes, large heads, small faces, squat limbs, soft skin, funny gaits, and playful behavior as they learn to walk, and eat, and explore their new worlds. There is a scheme, called the “baby schema” which explains why we feel such positive emotions when looking at baby animals.

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Gratitude For Immortality

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I am so grateful for my “Gratitude Stream”, my “moral virtues”, my parents instilled in me that I would like to share a bit with you. I believe that many people have a spiritual side and through such seek relief during times of illness and death, or when fearful, or worried. I also believe that we have “sacred portals” at specific moments throughout our life during which time we seek deeper explanations for particular events in our personal lives.

Personally, as a young child growing up, I observed my parents assisting many people because my parents were pastors. For my mother and father’s teachings I am deeply appreciative. In fact, as I grow older and watch tragedies emerge, I would like to share my parents’ wisdom with you, because I believe their words will give you peace and understanding too, during the stillness of the night.

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Through Gratitude We Are Generous (STICKS Poem)

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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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Gratitude For My Mother’s Teachings

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Early today as I was considering topics for my posting, I found one of my mother’s poems that family always loved. A House Inside of Me, by Marian E. Blake. As we continue in this holiday weekend, I miss my mother who passed from this earth in 2007. To honor her life and all that she did for me, I play her poem for you. I am so grateful to my mother for the moral virtues she gave to me.

Actually, I previously included this poem in an earlier posting, but thought it was beautiful enough to include again today. In addition, I am also thinking about a February 7, 2019 posting called, “Our Gratitude Stream”, in which I thanked my mother for her teachings to me.

Enjoy my gratitude for my mother with me today. Thank you

#gratitudelite

A House Inside Of Me, poem by Marian E.Blake

I Am Grateful For My Spiritual Journey To Health And Wellness

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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

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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