Shades Of Gray Successes

"Think in shades of gray; act in black and white; dream in color

Don't take your successes too seriously; every achievement owes something to luck.

Work quietly and alone to improve yourself. No one ever confessed a shortcoming to another without lying at least a little.

Every one has complaints, but the world is still full of large wonders and small pleasures.

Encourage other people's dreams.

Don't talk to children in a way intended to amuse the adults nearby; you will be communicating with neither.

Remember that any pleasure can be ruined by overindulgence, including hearing the sound of your own voice.

Your success is not dependent on someone else's failure; share what you've learned.

Learn to listen. It will gain you a reputation as a brilliant conversationalist.

Good manners are like good grooming: once you've formed the habit, you won't notice - but everyone else will.

The faults we resent most are the faults we recognize most readily. Think how much there is to be learned from someone you can't stand.

Don't ask what name a man gives to his god; ask what tolerance he offers his fellow men.

Make your own rules, but live by your heart."

Someone sent this to me in in an email, which I whittled down to this list of encouraging words.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I am. We had a wonderful family day today. I am blessed.

Belief In A Higher Power

"Worry looks around, Sorry looks back, Powerless looks up."

Anger

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

– Buddha

Experts Open Dolphin 'Chat Line' in Fla.

Found at SF Gate.com:
"A marine mammal rehabilitation facility opened a dolphin "chat line" of sorts Saturday, hoping to teach a deaf dolphin's unborn calf to communicate.

Castaway, as the stranded Atlantic bottlenose dolphin is named, has been recovering at the Marine Mammal Conservancy since Jan. 30. A battery of tests has confirmed she is deaf.

Dolphins need to hear echoes of sounds they produce to find food, socialize and defend themselves against predators.

"We asked ourselves `How do we get the calf to speak when we have a deaf mother?'" said Robert Lingenfelser, the conservancy's president.

They decided to electronically connect Castaway's habitat with a lagoon at Dolphins Plus, a research and interactive educational facility a few miles down the Keys Overseas Highway. Underwater speakers and microphones were installed at both locations and connected via phone lines.

Castaway should deliver her calf in about a month.

"Even before it is born, we want the calf to have an idea of what normal dolphin vocalization is," Lingenfelser said."

Very Sad Loss

Shelly at Abstract Thoughts had a post on Easter, please go visit her blog. This is the post on Easter:

"My Easter did not turn out as planned. In fact today will be a day my family will never forget. At about four in the afternoon, my mom called my house wanting my sister to return home asap. My mom just lives down the road from me and that is where my sister and her daughter have been staying while her husband has been in Iraq. My husband went with her because my mom sounded very upset and I stayed home with her daughter and my kids. Two men were waiting in their military vehicle and I am sure you know where I am going with this. Her husband had been killed in Iraq today. It still feels so unreal to even write about this. I just don't know what else to do. I had my neighbor come over and sit will all the kids so I could be there. It felt like a movie. The two men in uniform, the paper work. My husband said my sister just lost it and he just held her tight. I feel so bad for her. He was due to come home for a two week visit at the end of this month. He was looking so forward to coming home to see his 6 month old daughter. She was just 2 weeks old when he had to return to Iraq for the second time. What sticks in my mind the most was that he was so scared to go back for a second time. My sister said he had nightmares about it and was afraid he was going to die. I can't stop thinking about it. They have not released any of the details yet. I just pray he died quickly and he was in no pain. The thought of him dying alone or wounded just does not settle with me. What a tragedy he would have been 25 in June. He will never know his daughter and his daughter will never know him. I think of how this will affect her life. My sister is in shock. She was surrounded by friends and family all night. We all cried, my heart just aches for her. I feel sad, mad and most of all I just don't know what to do. I can't believe he is really gone. My kids don't really understand. He loved my kids he always played with them, teased them. When my oldest daughter was born he was one of the first people up at the hospital to hold her. He got to spend more time with my kids than he got with his own daughter. My niece looks just like him. I kept starring at her all night. Smiling and happy to young to understand that she will never know her father. What a terrible day. I have to be strong for my sister, which I did, I made calls for her which was so difficult for me. But when I got back home to my house I just lost it. It feels like a bad dream. I don't know how any of us are going to sleep. One of the hardest things is that we have to wait 7 to 10 days before his body can return home. I can't believe he is really gone. Every day families are going through this. Every day those men in informs are telling families that there loved one was killed at war. We hear about it every day but until it happens to your family you can never understand."

Our deepest sympathy to your sister and to your family, Shelly.

Appearances

First impressions.
Concern with what others think.
How do I look.
Ruled by opinions of others.
That which seems to be real.
Image rules.
Facade; illusion.
Appear publicly.
Engage attention.

From About Entrepreneurs:

"Within the first three seconds of a new encounter, you are evaluated… even if it is just a glance.

People appraise your visual and behavioral appearance from head to toe. They observe your demeanor, mannerisms, and body language and even assess your grooming and accessories – watch, handbag, briefcase. Within only three seconds, you make an indelible impression. You may intrigue some and disenchant others.

This first impression process occurs in every new situation. Within the first few seconds, people pass judgment on you – looking for common surface clues. Once the first impression is made, it is virtually irreversible."

How important IS it? IS IT?

Poetry From Guantanamo

"Just as the heart beats
in the darkness of the body,
so I, despite this cage,
continue to beat with life.
Those who have no courage or
honor consider themselves free,
but they are slaves.
I am flying on the wings of thought,
and so,
even in this cage,
I know a greater freedom."

This was scratched onto a styrofoam cup using his fingernails, by Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost. Mr. Dost is an Afghani national who was released from Guantánamo in April 2006, after three years of illegal imprisonment.

"Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak" will be published this fall by the University of Iowa Press.

This was found at Never in Our Names.

Beauty In White

Holding Hands In The Pool

What A Life!!!