My first posting on #gratitudesquared was February 5, 2021. You have ALL been so supportive of these posts that I created an audio version for those who do not read, or prefer to listen. This post is tagged as #gratitudelite following the classification categories for #gratitude which I posted on February 28, 2021 titled, Your Choice: Gratitude Zero, Gratitude Lite, or Gratitude Ultra.
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.
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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In an earlier post (Your Choice: Gratitude Zero, Gratitude Lite, or Gratitude Ultra) I ended by suggesting we were going to take a “deep gratitude soak” into the depths of the spectrum of gratitude waters. So I went to dreamstime.com to search for open source photos of “soaking in water”. At that site I found beautiful photos of people soaking in pools, in tubs, in the ocean, lakes, and so forth. I also found animals soaking in the waters or the sun, as well as people soaking their hands or feet, and soaking vegetables before cooking, or putting Easter eggs in water to color the eggs. Some of the photos were so unique that I place them within this post for your review and enjoyment.
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I like to think about gratitude as a “state of being”, but I am searching to learn how to keep myself in that “state” throughout the days and weeks. On tennessean.com I found an opinion piece by Bishop Joseph W. Walker III about gratitude. One particular point he made was:
Add up the things in your life that money cannot buy.
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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.
You might ask, Why practice gratitude? The disciplined focus on gratitude should not be approached from the perspective of “what’s in it for me?”, but rather, consider what fills your own heart so that you are moved to attend to and appreciate events in your life in new ways.
Continue readingGratitude is a fullness of heart that moves you from limitation and fear to expansion and love. When you’re appreciating something, your ego moves out of the way. You can’t have your attention on ego and gratitude at the same time.
Deepak Chopra
Gratitude is deeply personal. The experience and felt emotion comes from within. One may find their gratitude when receiving help, assistance, kindness from others, in appreciation for recognition, when you feel pleased, experience a positive emotion, develop strong relationships with family members, friends, or other people in your community, improve your health or life circumstances, give to others, or through spiritual study. Your pathway to gratitude may follow one or more of a variety of events throughout your life.
Robert Emmons describes two parts of gratitude:
On April 21, 2017 my life changed when I learned I would probably die. During these past nearly four years, I took a journey through healing, searching for wellness alternatives, multiple surgeries, modifying my diet, changing my lifestyle, and learning about health and wellness practices around the globe. During that journey, I focused on aspirational and inspirational messages for others who also had serious illnesses. As an educator, I hoped to share what I was learning along the way. Toward the goal of healing for myself as well as others, to date I have created 25 videos and put them on YouTube for others to view. You may view those videos if you wish to learn the particulars of my healing. The Hero’s Journey in Aspiring Through Healing to Health and Wellness.
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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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Gratitude Squared 