The U.S. Steel Tower

March 11, 2026

I watched a drone video of Pittsburgh

sent by my daughter-in-law,

It shows a city set in the mountains,

No matter where you go in Pittsburgh,

you’re going to walk either UP, OR, DOWN,

There is no in between.

And then I saw it, the “U.S. Steel Tower”,

“841 feet tall”,

“Pittsburgh’s tallest skyscaper,”

— and I thought, “That’s how far you fell.”

I am one who wants to KNOW,

I want to KNOW what happened,

If I ever have cancer, I want to KNOW,

If I am dying, don’t hide it from me,

I think from the time my father died,

if I think it through, and know the worst,

then anything else is up from there.

I have tried to FIND a building

as high as you were,

when you pulled your reserve,

how long did you have in freefall?

did you even have time to know?

These are the things I think about,

but, the most important message IS,

I know you fell into the arms of God,

I know you never suffered,

I know your spirit is close,

and this is where my thoughts should be.

Your message to me, after your passing,

was always, “Mom, be happy for me!

Be happy, I am HAPPY, I am where I should be!

Make others happy — Be happy for me.”

cfblack, 3-11-26

Posted in grief, love, parenting | Leave a Comment »

as time goes on

March 8, 2026

As time goes on, it gets harder, not easier.

Easier in ways such as first knowledge

sent shockwaves throughout the family,

Harder for minutes, hours, days,

weeks, now months without you

at family gatherings, holidays,

conversations on Star Trek shows,

movies you would have loved, but will never see,

birthdays, anniversaries,

without your cards, your thoughtful gifts,

you always sent, on time.

I forget birthdays all the time,

have no idea what to send,

My gifts come late — but not ones from you,

I don’t know how you did it.

You told me once, you had a dream,

You saw Him as the brightest Light,

“My dear one, this is not for you,”

he said to you, of marriage.

You told me once, “I don’t think

I’ll ever be — a Grandma.”

I said, “Of course you will!

It could happen now,

or next year — anytime!”

You looked at me, knowingly,

turned away, walked silently,

We walked some more, you told me

how you memorized prayers.

“Think of a place that you know,

take a walk around the place,

drop each line of a prayer here, there,

in your memory.”

In the hospital in 2020,

you floated in and out of pain,

in and out of reality,

in and out of worlds.

You asked us all to help you say

your obligatory prayer,

you spoke of seeing light fragments,

hearts and stars of paradise

all lit up with ribbon and light,

It’s where you wanted to be.

It seems you lived your life here

in the fullest possible way,

you learned acceptance, patience, love,

you lived your life to the best,

We miss you more as time goes on,

please forgive my tears,

pray for us as we pray for you

and continue through these years.

cfblack, 3-8-26

Posted in dreams, Family, grief, love | Leave a Comment »

For my daughter

February 27, 2026

It is when I listen

to meditative music,

or open my heart in prayer,

I feel you,

I see you,

and know you are there,

your penetrating gaze,

your honesty,

your deeply blue eyes,

your thoughtful gifts,

your refusal to criticize any soul,

when they had 9 bad qualities,

you’d find the one good,

your love of your boys,

watchful care of your dogs,

your love of Tolkien

and the color blue,

your fierce independence,

your ability

to turn difficulty into opportunity,

your great big loud and joyful laugh,

your love of movies, and of the SKY,

My heart breaks again and again,

and I so miss you, till this life ends,

There’s a veil between us,

and though it is thin,

it keeps us apart

until we join again,

so I thank God for you,

on this rainy day,

and ask you not to go far away,

I go forward in your honor,

do things in your name,

I miss you, my loved one,

till I see you again.

Love,

your mom

cfblack, 2-28-26

Posted in Family, grief, hope, love | Leave a Comment »

Aging

February 21, 2026

We all grow older, every day,

our bodies tell us in every way,

We are spirits, having a human time,

which one day comes to an end.

We are old enough to know many souls

who have stepped beyond the veil,

Father, Mother, Brother, Daughter,

Grandparents, many friends,

We all traverse this journey,

we all walk this winding path,

we all come to terms with aging,

and it goes by very fast!

Best we can do is prolong our stay,

Eat healthy, take walks, keep sickness away,

Take vitamins, pills, see doctors, rest,

but also care for that spirit, because,

in the end, IT IS what’s left.

Love your neighbor, visit friends,

Take time to pause, meditate,

Get rid of stuff that you don’t need,

Plant flowers, take time to breathe,

Talk with those who left you here,

You will see them again, they are very near,

They pray for us as we pray for them,

Those worlds are “closer than our life vein”,

Work for peace, paint, dance!

Spread LOVE EVERYWHERE, as best you can.

cfblack, 2-21-26

Posted in aging, health, love, peace, poetry, walking | Leave a Comment »

Life does not promise you peace

January 24, 2026

This picture. Inspired this poem.

Life does not promise to bring you peace,

it is not what you expect, or prepare for,

You do not control your Destiny,

You only control your own reaction

to all that is hurled at you.

Even the planets were created

by bits and pieces of rock, in space,

bombarding into each other,

until the masses they created

pulled together by gravity,

pulled them toward the center

and created a sphere,

When life throws rocks at you,

you can react

with anger, fear, sadness,

or Love,

a love so powerful that nothing tears it down,

and you remain centered,

calm

secure

at peace.

“Where there is hatred, sow love,

where there is injury, pardon,

where despair, sow hope,

where there is sadness, joy,”1

“When they poison your lives,

sweeten their souls,

Become ye a center of attraction,

Think ye at all times of rendering some service

to every member of the human race,

Be ye sincerely

KIND.” 2

1 prayer of St. Francis of Assissi

2 quote from the Baha’i writings

Posted in love, peace, stories in the news, the times we live in | Leave a Comment »

a cockroach forever

January 8, 2026

“The U.S. will withdraw from 66 international groups. The U.S. will exit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The list also includes agreements and groups on renewable energy, oceans, piracy, counterterrorism, and empowerment of women.”

Is this the plan, then?

Stop forward movement,

stop being part of the world,

stop cooperation, consultation,

while taking over other sovereign nations,

taking away freedoms people DIED to achieve?

This is the backwards wave

right before the new one comes in

and covers it over, moves us forward again.

Even if this lasts a generation or two,

you cannot stop it!

We already taste it,

we know who we are,

one world, under God,

with liberty and justice for all.

You are the sickening backlash,

the spit that comes up your throat

before you swallow it.

This is the cry of the bird

before being SET FREE.

You cannot stop the advancement of women to full equality!

You cannot stop the oneness of humanity!

We will arise again from ashes, if need be,

while you go to your grave,

absolutely penniless, without spirit,

unprepared, a cockroach forever

in the life beyond.
——————————–cfblack, 1-8-26

Posted in America, stories in the news, the times we live in, Unity | Leave a Comment »

Morning comes

January 6, 2026

Morning comes,

with its glint of light,

with its “begin again”, ever hopeful,

sense the powers within you,

behind you,

what brought you here,

what takes you forward,

Night is darkest before the dawn,

a buzzing tension in the air,

then light appears,

in all its glory.

Be a candle, be a light,

in total darkness, be a tiny flame.

It means everything.

cfblack, 1-6-26

Posted in hope, morning, the times we live in | Leave a Comment »

What do you wish for in 2026?

December 31, 2025

I wish for peace.

I wish for change.

For the world to care about cleaning our air,

getting rid of plastic, purifying our oceans,

saving endangered animals, including us,

for coral reefs to stop dying,

for us to take action,

to place a ban on rapid fire rifles,

to take steps toward peace, even baby ones,

to greet our neighbors when we walk,

to uplift conversation when we talk,

to have compassion for the oppressed,

for all children to feel safe when they go to bed.

(prayer for New Year 2026)

Posted in peace, poetry | Leave a Comment »

Noyes Earl Reid

December 29, 2025

Researched my Grandma Mary’s brother, whose names was NOYES EARL REID.

They moved around some. He starts in Bedford & is buried in Bedford. Here is the timeline: Born Aug.25, 1895. (Our grandma Mary was b.Dec. 1899.)— In 1913, he is in Bloomington & was taken to a hospital for “ptaline poisoning from a ham sandwich” (news story). in 1916 he is at 411 W. 3rd St., Bloomington, and registeers for military, saying a reason he can’t serve is supporting his mother Marries in 1918 (lady named Madelin). In 1920, they are living in Indianapolis with HER parents at 1807 College Ave., Indy. In 1930 they are back in Bloomington living at 1303 S. Walnut St. where he works as a fireman and for the RR (railroad). By 1940 they have ret’d TO BEDFORD and live at an address that doesn’t exist anymore: 1021 “R” St. (near RR?) He is working as a “painter, contractor, for Steel Towers). In 1950, they are living at 2130 “P” St. (near 22nd St. it seems) & he AND his wife are working in paint sales at a paint store. (Some years missing here…) At his death in 1983 of leukemia, they were at 1912 19th St., Bedford. Looks to me like it’s maybe at a Boys & Girls Club address today with a parking lot.

Noyes and Madelin have 2 sons, Phillip Earl (1921-96) and Richard Joseph (1927-2002).

Phillip Earl marries Maralou Shakleford and they have a daughter, Martha Diane, and a son, John Curtis (b.1954). Martha Diane marries Steven Barry Geller. There is one son mentioned for them, Max M. Harris Geller. I wonder if he is a son from a previous marriage for Steven, just because of the middle name Harris. He is listed in a newspaper obit. The obit also confirms her brother John Reid.

Richard (1927-2002) marries Ramona Colleen Gipson and they later divorce. They seem to have one son named Joseph S. Reid. Richard marries Celia Lynn _____ and they seem to have 2 sons, Alexander 1988, and Andrew 1992.

Posted in family history, family tree research | Leave a Comment »

December 11, 2025

This is my Grandma Mary. Mary Frances Reid Agnew. Her parents were Charles Reid and Cora Belle Owens. She was born in southern Indiana and lived in Indiana her whole life. Her birthdate was Dec. 10, 1899. This means that she turned 1 year old on Dec.10, 1900, at the turn of the century, and 3 weeks later the world went into the year 1901. So she was 1 year old in 1901, and that went on her whole life. She was 65 in 1965, etc. Mary was quite the character, a fireball of a personality. She loved telling stories and loved little babies. She got married at age 16 to my grandpa John Wesley Agnew. They named their first born “John Thomas”, my father. They had one more child, a girl, my Aunt Margaret Ruth. The night before she passed, she was in her room at a nursing care facility laughing and talking. The nurses asked her, “Who are you talking to, Mary?” She said, “Oh I’m talking to my friends. I will see them tomorrow.”

Posted in Family, family history | Leave a Comment »

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