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Eileen Manassian Biography

I guess you could say I'm a citizen of the world. I've traveled....and I've lived parts of my life in Iran, Lebanon, the US, and Cyprus. I am proud of my Armenian heritage. I was born in Tehran, Iran and soon after that, my family went to the States for my dad to work on his MA degree and many years later, to work on his Ed.D. I have a lot of the Middle East and the West in me, and at times....I feel confused about my identity. I do, however, cling to my Armenian roots and am outspoken about recognition by the world of the Armenian Genocide that took place over 100 years ago.

Since my parents had no common language, the language spoken in our home was English. Yes, I am most fluent in English, and I think, dream, and converse in that language, though I do speak 5 other languages to varying degrees! :)

I am melancholy/sanguine by nature and feel everything very keenly. My highs are SUPER HIGH...and my lows...SUPER LOW! I guess you could say...I'm INTENSE. I'm passionate about poetry to the point of obsession.

The events that have colored my life are the death of my mother due to MS and the war in Lebanon. As a child, it was hard for me to come to grips with the fact that my mother was ill, and to see her go from being a vibrant, well-loved teacher to a wheelchair bound, isolated woman was a very harrowing experience. I do believe, though, that there is a resurrection day and that, by His grace, I will see my Mama fully restored...free of wheelchair, able to sing, laugh, and smile again. The war in Lebanon...bombs landing all around, nights spent in bomb shelters.. has also scarred me to some degree.

What I'm most proud of? That would be my daughter...Shereen Natalie Ghali. She is the light of my life. Her name in Farsi means SWEET! :)

Currently, I teach English at Middle East University in Beirut, Lebanon. Poetry Soup has been a haven for me....most of the time! ;) I've developed amazing friendships here that are very genuine and real. My dream is to one day have my name on a volume of poetry! One can always dream....Thank you for making the effort to get acquainted. God bless!

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What Feeds Your Soul?

Blog Posted by Eileen Manassian: 7/20/2014 4:48:00 AM

I often give my students famous quotes and ask them to try to get into the mind of the author to try to find the deeper meaning behind the words. Recently, this is the topic I asked them to write about...What Feeds Your Soul?

"If, of thy mortal goods, thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves
alone to thee are left,
Sell one & from the dole,
Buy Hyacinths to feed the soul"
- Muslihuddin Sadi,
13th Century Persian Poet

A Persian poet!!! Yes, I was born in Persia...modern day Iran. I'm of Armenian origin, but I must tell you that the Farsi language is just SO beautiful and melodic. For a time period, I did radio programs in the Farsi language and those of you who have heard my voice on Drake's Stand as One Show and have complimented me on my speaking voice need to hear me in Farsi. :) What a language! What beauty! We have wonderful poets. Here, you see a snippet from the work of Sadi. Sell one loaf and buy Hyacinths to feed your soul. Or orchids? ;) Whatever works for you, but feed your soul. What with? For me...

1) Poetry: Oh...poetry feeds my soul. I just...eat it all up and relish every bite. Every word...is just nourishment for me. I'm happiest when I'm reading and writing. I'm obsessive about poetry and words.

2) Pictures: I feed my soul with pictures. When I'm so depressed that I can't even think of leaving my room, I browse through web sites like Shabby Romantic...and others...which display pictures of flowers, furniture, decorations, hearts...that are dreamy and romantic. I browse...sometimes while crying, and I download the pics on my phone or lap top and try to hold on a little longer because of the beauty that there is in life. I actually have a file called For my Soul. I look at the vibrant colors of the flowers in my favorite colors (purple-pink). I look at heart decorations...pillows, jewelry, wreaths, buttons, rocks...and I breathe. I look at pictures of warm inviting rooms that are designed in styles that bring me joy. Pictures of nature in all her majesty. I look and I feed my heart. I wish I could share some photos with you, but I still haven't gotten the hang of doing that yet.

3) Music: Oh...music...some songs just take me to another world...a world where I can be whomever I want to be! Instrumental music also touches me, but music with lyrics...heaven on earth.

3) Rides: The beauty of Beirut...at night. The sparkling lights reaching into the Mediterranean Sea. The lights on the hills....a feast for my eyes! I just...breathe and LIVE.

Talk to me. How do YOU feed your soul? Nature, sports, friends, family, travel, pets, volunteer work, prayer, meditation, trips to the spa? What?

Thank you...for feeding my heart and soul with your friendship, love, and your words. What tasty treats! Sweet! Yummy! I'm never starved, but I enjoy a gluttonous feast thanks to you all.

Remember: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. There is the spiritual side as well that I didn't deal with....

:) Talk to me....Share!

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Paul
Callus

Date: 7/22/2014 1:20:00 PM

HI! Eileen. Let me start by saying that I am not keen on auctions!:) Now...to the point. I do not live by bread alone; I have tasted most things in life, and that is no exaggeration for someone my age! I love the simple things in life; enjoy a good meal but nothing out of the ordinary; hate alcohol (but enjoy a glass of red wine); gave up smoking long ago with no regrets; love travelling, reading, walking, swimming, sports, music (most kinds, according to mood) .... and finding time to write lyrics for songs and poetry. I enjoy the countryside and spending time on my own...daydreaming! I do community work, but family comes first before that. I have friends, but not many inner-circle ones...

Paul Callus
Date: 7/22/2014 1:22:00 PM

.....also, I miss teaching!

Brian
Strand

Date: 7/22/2014 3:06:00 AM

Only one thing Roya ..Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.Rgds Brian

Deb
Wilson

Date: 7/21/2014 1:51:00 AM

Oh there are so many things that feed my soul! I adore all kinds of good music...Music soothes the savage beast in me and sometimes energizes me too!Writing short stories and poetry. Dancing alone in my living room or even with my honey is a biggie. Of course yakking on the phone with family and dear friends Cooking is a fave pastime. Love to have friends over and cook for them. It gives me a lot of joy to make sure everyone comes to my home and has a delightful time. I love to play my guitar and sing. Also like to do all kinds of crafts. And especially love to hang out with my boyfriend and my sweet kitty Miss Layla. So many things that make life rewarding. Lovely blog dear Eileen!

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/21/2014 9:06:00 AM

Short stories, eh? That would be fun to read, Deb. :) Sounds like it would be so much fun to visit as well. I'd bring over some desert and we could yak away! ;) I'm good at that too! I'd love to hear you sing. I'm not so crafty, but I'd love to learn. Give Layla a squeeze for me. Dancing alone in the living room...I've done that too! I too have the beauty and the beast that music brings to life. Seems like we could be kindred spirits. So glad that I've met you and can call you...FRIEND. Hugs

Debbie
Guzzi

Date: 7/20/2014 8:19:00 PM

People like YOU!

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:42:00 PM

Awww...Debbie...you touched my heart with this. Wish I could reach out and give you a bear hug squeeze. Thank you! You shine.....

Robert
Lindley

Date: 7/20/2014 7:44:00 PM

My soul is nourished by the bread of truth, the melodies the poetry cast forth. The little thoughts and notes that accompany poems posted. Shots into the minds of others. And my trying to give something back, some bit of wisdom derived from my many mistakes made in a long and wild life. I hope to give to be worthy enough to receive!

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:43:00 PM

Oh...giving something back is what it is all about, Robert....That is the sign of the spiritual life within..for He said...I was hungry...you fed me, I was in prison...you visited me....I was thirsty, you gave me to drink. You encouraged me when I thought of living. That nourished my soul. May blessings pour more and more into your life.

Faye
Gibson

Date: 7/20/2014 5:18:00 PM

Eileen, I loved reading this blog. I have not yet had the pleasure of making your acquaintance on the Soup (I am fairly new) but many of the things you mentioned are among my favorites. I also love Pinterest...so much there to stimulate the creative juices. A also like gardening. There is something so therapeutic about digging, planting and harvesting anything from vegetables to flowers. I love to watch the play of emotions on the faces of my grandchildren when they are contented and happy. Cooking and eating good food is a passion as is delicious coffee; well, chocolate has to be in there too. Glad you posted this blog. Hope to know you better as time goes by. Faye

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:45:00 PM

Faye...I'm remiss. I'm sorry. I should have visited your work and welcomed you. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and to post such a lovely uplifting comment. Yes, I don't have a green thumb, but I know that gardening can be such a source of blessing for those who do. My Mama loved her plants...Good to get to know you better. :)

Faye Gibson
Date: 7/20/2014 5:18:00 PM

Of course, words and writing are a PASSION.

Richard
Lamoureux

Date: 7/20/2014 1:12:00 PM

Good question Eileen, for me being near water has such a pull and healing energy. A meal with friends is also high on my list, add the right music and ambiance and that is perfection. Hugging wow! Physical touch is high on my list. One on one deep conversations is also very high. Of course writing but that one almost goes without saying. I love to get lost in words both real and fantasy. Reading or writing that is my bliss.

Richard Lamoureux
Date: 7/20/2014 1:25:00 PM

That is one of the reasons I keep returning to this place dispite the changes. Great blog Eileen. You should write more of these, you get some excellent conversations going.

Andrea Dietrich
Date: 7/20/2014 1:17:00 PM

Richard, you are awesome!

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 1:15:00 PM

Write like the true poet that you are, Richard. May I say that all that you have written resonates with me? Seriously...you know how I love to swim!!! I'm in my element then. Physical touch...it is my love language...that and words of affirmation. Deep conversation...past layers of chit chat. I hope you always live in bliss, Richard...and that you share it with us...with me.

Frederic
Parker

Date: 7/20/2014 1:03:00 PM

What feeds my soul? To dwell among the living and not the dead.To see horizons as my only boundary not a line on a map where they build fortresses and guard things they find precious..To count the smiles on the face of a child, to wonder about simple things, like the sense a bird has when gliding above the Earth or the guiding comfort given to one grasping the hand of knowledge, seeking truth.Yes their are many things that feed my soul, but they are like drops of rain, to many to count.

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 1:12:00 PM

Frederic...you have captured my interest with the things you have mentioned here. Wow! Talk about comprehensive...To dwell among the living...not just to exist. That's a beautiful thought. I don't want to write anything that will trivialize what you have written, so let me just say....I love your perspective. Thank you for sharing...I grasp the hand of knowledge with you.

Poet
Tacito

Date: 7/20/2014 9:24:00 AM

FYI, THIS GUY can live by bread alone! Plus, um, marinara sauce...and grilled chicken...and thick fettuccine noodles. (Homer drool) That said: Video Games, writing, Italian & Spanish food, spontaneous road trips, & slightly adult-oriented cartoons. For most of the above, this is an amalgamation of it in a short video (also, it's 90% why I haven't been around very much): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfkcBF1jIMc

Poet Tacito
Date: 7/21/2014 3:58:00 PM

Andrea, thank you!!! :) I have good "taste". Charmaine, YAY! Nette, you're just too cute for words...and that compliment. :) Thanks!

Nette Onclaud
Date: 7/21/2014 3:03:00 PM

mmm.. you are giving Disney a run for its money, drake.. wooohoo!

Charmaine Chircop
Date: 7/20/2014 3:42:00 PM

Ok I cook whatever your hearts desire : )

Andrea Dietrich
Date: 7/20/2014 1:18:00 PM

Drake, I love reading your food thoughts!

Poet Tacito
Date: 7/20/2014 10:38:00 AM

:) Thank you, thank you!!!!! I'm still writing, just haven't posted anything much lately. Another show would've been for today, but it'll need to wait another week. So, next Sunday. :) Big, big Hugs to you! And, dinner & carrot cake w/you & Charmaine...HELL YEAH!

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:33:00 AM

DRAKE!!! Awesome! I watched it. You are super talented. OOOOHHHHH...that ending. That VOICE...the cartoon characters! YOU will do well! BUT...please write again. Also, can we PLEASE have another STAND AS ONE? I'm dying here! HUGS!

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:28:00 AM

OH!!!! Yes...You have been MIA for far too long. I HAVE MISSED YOU!!!! OK OK...Going to check you out! :) Hey...we should visit Charmaine and have her cook...and then I will bake and we can make you happy. I made a killer carrot cake for my brother and family yesterday. My daughters friends gobbled down the leftovers of the meal...They loved it! ;) Hey, Cali next summer...Make...MAKE IT HAPPEN. PS convention. I AM COMING!

Andrea
Dietrich

Date: 7/20/2014 8:49:00 AM

I love all these things that you say feed your soul, Eileen. I bet in the "real life" we would be such great friends. Nature, sports, art, music, friends. One thing that you did not mention, for me is movies. some feed my soul, some scare me (I love the rush from getting scared, like on roller coasters, etc) and some make me laugh. So laughing feeds my soul too! (savoring great food, can that be one too?) oh, and DANCING (which I rarely get to do) oh, and I forgot one more. JUst lounging around with hubbie, and having my cat nearby me.

Charmaine Chircop
Date: 7/20/2014 3:39:00 PM

It would be cool to hang around together indeed..I feel so much similarities in the way We think..Ow yes..A ladies night or morn would be loooveeely : )

Andrea Dietrich
Date: 7/20/2014 1:16:00 PM

hahaha, you are so much like me, I am always guessing what will happen next.

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:21:00 AM

WOMAN! Let's get together and shush them first before we clobber them! Seriously! I mean...if I lose a few lines that are key to the plot...I'm devastated. I usually can tell what is going to happen, so my family sometimes gets mad at me acting like a smartie pants and predicting how it will end...Don't worry! I will keep my mouth shut, but when it's all finished I'll say...I knew it! ;)

Andrea Dietrich
Date: 7/20/2014 9:15:00 AM

YES, we would be SUCH good movie buddies. I hate when they talk during the shows. It tells me they just don't really care about the movie. and the people texting during a movie. I just want to wring their NECKS

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:08:00 AM

Yes...I think so. I saw you do your jig for the youtube video...We would certainly be friends if we could dance together and talk shop about our students! ;) I LOVE movies too. I get SO mad when people talk while I'm watching because I hang on to every word. I couldn't mention everything because then you'd all get bored! ;) Food! Yes! ;) Family...sure.

Cyndi
Macmillan

Date: 7/20/2014 8:18:00 AM

Nice blog! I only a minute. What fulfills me is being with those who I love while staying true to myself. I have recently discovered Pinterest and LOVE it. Fun to create scrapbooks of positivity ... all that delights the senses and invigorates the mind for those times when I can not get out in nature (even a few trees, shrubs and grass can appease my soul... and add in some birds, a cricket, two yellow butterflies, the breeze... it becomes a bolster on a day when I'm feeling down) anyway, pinterest.. here... an example... http://www.pinterest.com/cyndimacmillan/inspirational/

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 1:09:00 PM

BTW...you must be an awesome Mom! :) She is blessed...

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 1:08:00 PM

I'm SERIOUSLY thinking about it! ;) Your page was just so awesome. So much there I connected to...Boho...is up my lane. I'm a gypsy at heart...Let me let you get the picture...You watch Disney with your daughter? I'm.....Esmeralda. I think...we connect. I'll think about it, Cyndi. I'm just so wanting summer session to end. I have guests. It's just poetry for now...My one escape. Hugs

Cyndi Macmillan
Date: 7/20/2014 9:44:00 AM

Seriously, you'll love pinterest. You can pin paintings, beautiful photographs, recipes, home decorating ideas, crafts, exercises, historical landmarks, and on and on and on... I have a kids craft board and we use it on rainy days...

Cyndi Macmillan
Date: 7/20/2014 9:42:00 AM

http://www.pinterest.com/cyndimacmillan/interior-design-i-love/ I live beige in respect for a shared home with a guy who is SO NOT boho... but me? I am a mad-for-colour lover who enjoys global influence... :D

Cyndi Macmillan
Date: 7/20/2014 9:40:00 AM

Yes, you can start a pinterest account .. .then see that "make your own poster" pin that I have. That sight can create your own posters! You can quote yourself, too, hon! Pinterest is fun and educational and an organization tool. Here. One more you MAY like.. lol.. I'm a boho-girl at heart, so our tastes may not be the same

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:17:00 AM

CYNDI....I checked you out! You have pinned such glorious things to your board. I'm not on this...but I SHOULD GET ON! OH OH OH! I love the ones you have...That fantastic drawing of a woman saying..."I don't need anyone's permission"...Bible quotes...famous quotes...how to raise children...You are one beautiful soul! I LOVE nature...the sea...the sky...the stars..."Being with those I love while staying true to myself" Can I put your quote on pinterest? ;)

Charmaine
Chircop

Date: 7/20/2014 7:39:00 AM

What feeds my soul Eileen?Where do I find my serenity if its not poetry which is one option of many.I love nature,I love being alone with nature,I love cooking, somehow makes me relax.I love music,it definitely feeds my soul,even going for a ride on my own.When I have big problems,guess being anywhere alone with God helps me too.Watching some telly feeds my soul too,and if I want to feed my soul in the best way,meaning having a great break,travelling by plane does the trick or sleeping on a boat under the stars in the mediteranean sea,though its difficult to do so since Christina was born two yrs ago: ).Eileen first time I go to swim..I' m.gonna think,a great friend of mine is looking over

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:25:00 AM

Charmaine...I LOVE to swim!!! I'm happiest in the water. Yes...I know you are a spiritual woman and the Word of God and spending time with him can feed the soul. I'm sure you are a great cook! Such a wonderful woman! Love you

Eileen Manassian
Date: 7/20/2014 9:23:00 AM

Isn't she adorable, Andrea? She really is. Her heart is like a beautiful butterfly. CHOCOLATE? Let us dip our fingers in that gooey ooey goodness and lick away! Melted chocolate...my friend once gave me chocolate spoons that I could dip in my coffee and savor bit by melting bit!

Andrea Dietrich
Date: 7/20/2014 9:17:00 AM

charma, I love reading your reply to Eileen. You are another person that I would love to hang out with! So glad I met you here.

Charmaine Chircop
Date: 7/20/2014 7:42:00 AM

to where I am,even if from a distance.The world is small indeed.Btw..Chocolate feeds my soul too..every now and then: )