1. Understanding Echoes
by Monette Danielle Ross

2. I created this slideshow as a personal journey of self-
discovery. Oh, who am I kidding…I thought it would be a great
tool to attract “the right guy for me” on internet dating.  LOL I
would create a piece that I could direct guys to that would
truly reflect what I’m all about so they wouldn’t be so surprised
and confused when they met me in person. (I know! “Goofy
idea!” But trust me on this…nothing else was working! )
Well, this idea didn’t work either, and over time it DID become
a lesson in self-discovery. I found a lot of things I believed in
for awhile, but over time some of them fell away…what is
presented here is essentially what “made the cut” and stood
the test of time. This is what I believe to be “My Essential
Truth.”
Word of Warning: such a feat is not to be untaken lightly…it
requires a lot of “soul searching”…and can break you into
pieces if you’re not careful! “Voice of Experience” talkin’ here!


3. Be who you are and say what you feel
because those who mind don't matter and
those who matter don't mind.
-Dr. Seuss

4. quot;What a caterpillar calls the end of
the world the rest of the world calls
a butterflyquot; ~Lao Tsu

5. quot;Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are
powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We
ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small
doesn't serve the world. There's nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make and manifest the
glory of God that is within us. It's not just
In some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let
our own light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.quot;
Marianne Williamson
quot;Our Greatest Fearquot; from her bookA Return to Love

6. The Starfish Story
Once upon a time there was a old man who used to go to the ocean for peace and quiet, and for inspiration to do
his writing. In the morning, he usually walked on the beach before he began his work. One day as he was walking
along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer, bending, then wading into the waves, arms extended.
It pleased him that someone would dance to the beauty of the day and the rhythm of the waves. As he got closer,
he saw that it was a young girl. The girl wasn't dancing, but instead she was reaching down to the sand, picking up
something, and throwing it gently into the ocean.
He called out, quot;Good morning! What are you doing?quot;
The girl paused and replied, quot;Throwing starfish in the ocean.quot;
quot;I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the
ocean?quot;
quot;The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in,
they'll be stranded on the beach and die.quot;
quot;But don't you realize that there are thousands of miles of beach
and starfish all along the way.
You can't possibly make a difference!quot;
The girl listened and considered. Then she bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea. She
watched a wave lift it high, and then it sank into the life-giving water.
quot;It made a difference for that one,” she said.

7. Introduction to Poetry
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to water ski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Billy Collins

8. Child Of Mine sung by Carole King
Although you see the world different than me
Sometimes I can touch upon the wonders that you see
All the new colors and pictures you've designed
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine
Child of mine, child of mine
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine
You don't need direction, you know which way to go
And I don't want to hold you back, I just want to watch you
grow
You're the one who taught me you don't have to look behind
Oh yes, sweet darling The times you were born in may not have been the best
So glad you are a child of mine But you can make the times to come better than the rest
I know you will be honest if you can't always be kind
Child of mine, child of mine Oh yes, sweet darling
Oh yes, sweet darling So glad you are a child of mine
So glad you are a child of mine
Child of mine, child of mine,
Nobody's gonna kill your dreams Oh yes, sweet darling
Or tell you how to live your life So glad you are a child of mine
There'll always be people to make it hard for a while
But you'll change their heads when they see you smile Child of mine, child of mine
Oh yes, sweet darling
So glad you are a child of mine

9. I Believe...
I believe in growing things,
and in things
which have grown and died
magnificently.
I believe in people
and in the simple aspects
of human life,
and in the relation of man
to nature.
I believe man
must be free,
both in spirit and society,
that he must
build strength into himself,
affirming the
enormous beauty of the world
and acquiring
the confidence to see
and to
express his vision.
~Ansel Adams

10. Think Different
Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.
(Apple Computer Ad Campaign)

11. quot;How does one become a butterfly?quot; a little girl asked.
With a twinkle in her eye and a slight smile, the wise old woman
replied, quot;You must want to fly so much that you are willing to
give up being a caterpillar.quot;

12. The Journey
One day you finally knew It was already late
what you had to do, and began, enough, and a wild night,
though the voices around you and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
kept shouting
But little by little,
their bad advice --
as you left their voices behind,
though the whole house the stars began to burn
began to tremble through the sheets of clouds,
and you felt the old tug and there was a new voice
which you slowly
at your ankles.
recognized as your own,
quot;Mend my life!quot;
that kept you company
each voice cried. as you strode deeper and deeper
But you didn't stop. into the world,
You knew what you had to do, determined to do
the only thing you could do --
though the wind pried
determined to save
with its stiff fingers
the only life you could save.
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy ~ Mary Oliver ~
was terrible.

13. The Yellow Chair by Thomas Kincade
What color is a yellow chair? For me as a painter, the answer is not quite as simple as it sounds
learned long ago that the apparent color of an object (the way it looks) is a very different thing
from its intrinsic color (the color it really is).
In the fiery light of sunset, the yellow chair may reflect an orange glow. As daylight continues to
fade, the color will fade as well. In the cool shadows of a tree-shaded lawn, the chair may take on
a greenish hue or appear almost violet when silhouetted against a distant sunlit meadow.
And yet, if you move the chair back to a neutral light, you see that the intrinsic color of the chair
has never really changed. Regardless of the external circumstances, a yellow chair is still a yellow
chair.
Artists refer to the yellowness of that chair - the color it is no matter what light - as its local
color. Local color is the color that belongs to the basic chemistry, biology of the thing, that is not
dependent on tricks of light or external modification. Outside forces may change its appearance, but
not its essence.
That analogy helps me a lot when I think of my happiness.

14. After all, each of us wants to be happy. Given the choice, we’d prefer to live our entire lives in the
golden light of fortunate circumstances. And we all have a mental list of what such happiness
entails.
The problem, of course, is that none of us gets everything we think we want all the time. Some of
us don’t even get close. Others get what we earned for and then find we don’t want it anymore.
And although we can exercise considerable influence on what happens around us, we can no more
dictate our changing circumstances than I can tell the sunset to hold still while I attempt to
capture its color on canvas.
Basing my happiness on what happens to me, then, is a little like depending on the ambient light to
color an unpainted chair yellow. It might work for a while, but sooner or later the light, and the
chair will change. If I really want a yellow chair, therefore, I’ll do well to invest in some brushes
and a can or two of yellow paint!
And if I really want to be happy, I’d better realize that joy, as poet
Don Blanding once put it, is an inside job. I need to cultivate a fundamental
attitude of satisfaction and celebration than can keep
shining golden no matter how the light shifts around me.
I need to concentrate on making sure
that joy is the local color in my heart.
Personal Note:
A little yellow chair sits a my desk at school as a reminder to “be” the yellow chair. 

15. A Cherokee Proverb
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. quot;A fight is going
on inside me,quot; he said to the boy. quot;It is a terrible fight and it is
between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret,
greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false
pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love,
hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you –
and inside every other person, too.quot;
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his
grandfather, quot;Which wolf will win?quot;
The old Cherokee simply replied, quot;The one you feed.quot;

16. Unwritten
Artist: Natasha Bedingfield Lyrics
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending
unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the
So close you can almost taste it
lines
Release your inhibitions
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I
Feel the rain on your skin
can't live that way
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else, no one else
No one else can feel it for you
Can speak the words on your lips
Only you can let it in
Drench yourself in words unspoken
No one else, no one else
Live your life with arms wide open
Can speak the words on your lips
Today is where your book begins
Drench yourself in words unspoken
The rest is still unwritten
Live your life with arms wide open
To the years where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

17. quot;The Sister Candlesquot;
Individually we share our own distinctive glow, our own unique and
splendid dance of light and shadow; collectively...we light up the
place! ...dedicated to my sisters Machelle and Marissa with love
(I’m the first one, Machelle is the middle, and my youngest sister Marissa is the last. The candles
represent our personalities.)

18. “Did I Miss Anythingquot;by Tom Wayman
Nothing. When we realized you weren’t here
we sat with our hands folded on our desks
in silence, for the full two hours
Everything. I gave an exam worth
40 percent of the grade for this term
and assigned some reading due today
on which I’m about to hand out a quiz
worth 50 percent
Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning
Take as many days off as you like:
any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
and are without purpose

19. Everything. A few minutes after we began last time
a shaft of light suddenly descended and an angel
or other heavenly being appeared
and revealed to us what each woman or man must do
to attain divine wisdom in this life and
the hereafter
This is the last time the class will meet
before we disperse to bring the good news to all people
on earth.
Nothing. When you are not present
how could something significant occur?
Everything. Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human experience
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been
gathered
but it was one place
And you weren’t here.
from Did I Miss Anything? Selected Poems 1973-1993, 1993 Harbour Publishing
Reprinted from Poetry 180 website

20. “I never came upon any of my discoveries through the
process of rational thinking.” ~Albert Einstein

21. Wise Words from Winnie the Pooh...by AA Milne
quot;I don't see much sense in that,quot; said Rabbit.
quot;No,quot; said Pooh humbly, quot;there isn't. But there
was going to be when I began it. It's just that
something happened to it along the way.quot;
quot;Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is
to go where they can find you.quot;
quot;Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?quot;
quot;If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that
he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.quot;
quot;Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.quot;
quot;Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping
slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.quot;
quot;You can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right; but
spelling isn't everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn't count.quot;
quot;Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.quot;

22. And from Eeyore (who reminds us to laugh at ourselves when we
least feel like doing so...)
quot;It's not very pleasant in my corner of the world at
three o'clock in the morning. But for people who like
cold, wet, ugly bits it is something rather special.quot;
quot;One can't complain. I have my friends. Someone spoke
to me only yesterday.quot;
“It's snowing still,quot; said Eeyore gloomily.
quot;So it is.quot;
quot;And freezing.quot;
quot;Is it?”
quot;Yes,quot; said Eeyore. quot;However,quot; he said, brightening up a little, quot;we
haven't had an earthquake lately.”

23. Favorite quotes from Dead Poets Society (1989)
John Keating: No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.
John Keating: We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry
because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And
medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.
But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman,
quot;O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless...
of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?quot; Answer. That you are here–
that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
That the powerful play “goes on” and you may contribute a verse. What
will your verse be?
John Keating: Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less
likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, quot;Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.quot; Don't be resigned
to that. Break out!
John Keating: Now we all have a great need for acceptance, but you must trust that your beliefs are
unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go,
[imitating a goat] quot;that's baaaaad.quot; Robert Frost said, quot;Two roads diverged in the wood and I, I took the one less
traveled by, and that
has made all the difference.quot;
John Keating: I SOUND MY BARBARIC YAWP OVER THE ROOFTOPS OF THE WORLD.

24. The Rainbow Connection
Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.
Have you been half asleep
Who said that every wish would be heard and
and have you heard voices?
answered
I've heard them calling my name.
when wished on the morning star?
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
Somebody thought of that
The voice might be one and the same.
and someone believed it,
and look what it's done so far. I've heard it too many times to ignore it.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing? It's something that I'm supposed to be.
And what do we think we might see? Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me.
the lovers, the dreamers and me.
La, la la, La, la la la, La Laa, la la, La, La la laaaaaaa
All of us under its spell,
Written by Paul Williams and used by Kermit the Frog,
we know that it's probably magic....
of The Muppets

25. If
If you can keep your head when all about you If you can make one heap of all your winnings
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt And lose, and start again at your beginnings
you And never breath a word about your loss;
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, To serve your turn long after they are gone,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And so hold on when there is nothing in you
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: Except the Will which says to them: quot;Hold on!quot;
If you can dream--and not make dreams your If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
master, Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
aim; If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster If you can fill the unforgiving minute
And treat those two impostors just the same; With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
If you can bear to hear the truth you've Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
spoken And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to,
broken, --Rudyard Kipling
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out
tools:

26. “No bird soars too high if he soars with his own
wings.” ~William Blake

27. The Desire of Words
words are not born in chains
they run along the beach and kiss
and form clouds against the sky
unreachable patterns of happiness
occasionally you stub your toes
against one which is hard like stone
and you feel like a clod
your face distorted in pain
they do what they like
they follow you around
they sing their desire
they lose you and find you
they move so softly
that no-one can hear them approach
until they have entered your ear;
then there is no way of getting rid of them
words explode in your brain
shattering other words
dislodging your conscience
and building nests for their offspring
Peter Horn

28. Liver and Cheese
Three handsome male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female
Poodle. The three male dogs fall all over themselves in an effort to be the one to reach her first, but end
up arriving in front of her at the same time. The males are speechless before her beauty, slobbering on
themselves and hoping for just a glance from her in return. Aware of her charms and her obvious effect
on the three suitors, she decides to be kind and tells them, quot;The first one who can use the words liver
and cheese together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me.quot;
The sturdy, muscular Black Lab speaks up quickly and says, quot;I love liver and cheese.quot;
quot;That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever,quot; said the Poodle.
She turned to the tall, shiny Golden Retriever and said, quot;How well can you do?quot;
quot;Um......I HATE liver and cheese,quot; blurts the Golden Retriever.
quot;My, my,quot; said the Poodle. quot;I guess it's hopeless. That's as uninspired as the Lab's sentence.quot;
She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, quot;How about you, little guy?quot;
The last of the three, tiny in stature but big in fame and finesse, is a chihuahua. He gives her a smile, a sly
wink, turns to the Golden Retriever and the Lab and says......
quot;Liver alone. Cheese mine.”
Personal Note: This is my favorite joke of ALL time! 

29. I'm not old enough to pay baseball or
football. I'm not yet eight yet. My mom
told me when you start baseball, you
aren't going to be able to run that fast
because you had an operation. I told
Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast.
When I play baseball, I'll just hit them
out of the park. Then I'll be able to
walk.quot;
~Edward J. McGrath, Jr.
quot;An Exceptional View of Lifequot;

30. I Am A Teacher
I am a Teacher.
I was born the first moment that a question leaped from the mouth of a child.
I have been many people in many places.
I am Socrates exciting the youth of Athens to discover new ideas through the use of questions.
I am Anne Sullivan tapping out the secrets of the universe into the outstretched hand of Helen
Keller.
I am Aesop and Hans Christian Andersen revealing truth through countless stories.
I am Marva Collins fighting for every child's right to an education.
I am Mary McCleod Bethune building a great college for my people, using orange crates for
desks.
And I am Bel Kaufman struggling to go Up The Down Staircase.
The names of those who have practiced my profession ring like a hall of fame for humanity. . .
Booker T. Washington, Buddha, Confucius, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Buscaglia, Moses
and Jesus.
I am also those whose names and faces have long been forgotten but whose lessons and
character will always be remembered in the accomplishments of their students.
I have wept for joy at the weddings of former students, laughed with glee at the birth of their
children and stood with head bowed in grief and confusion by graves dug too soon for
bodies far too young.

31. Throughout the course of a day I have been called upon to be an actor, friend,
nurse and doctor, coach, finder of lost articles, money lender, taxi driver,
psychologist, substitute parent, salesman, politician and a keeper of the
faith.
Despite the maps, charts, formulas, verbs, stories and books, I have really had
nothing to teach, for my students really have only themselves to learn, and I
know it takes the whole world to tell you who you are.
I am a paradox. I speak loudest when I listen the most. My greatest gifts are in
what I am willing to appreciatively receive from my students.
Material wealth is not one of my goals, but I am a full-time treasure seeker in
my quest for new opportunities for my students to use their talents and in
my constant search for those talents that sometimes lie buried in self-
defeat.
I am the most fortunate of all who labor.
A doctor is allowed to usher life into the world in one magic moment. I am
allowed to see that life is reborn each day with new questions, ideas and
friendships.
An architect knows that if he builds with care, his structure may stand for
centuries. A teacher knows that if he builds with love and truth, what he
builds will last forever.

32. I am a warrior, daily doing battle against peer pressure,
negativity, fear, conformity, prejudice, ignorance and apathy.
But I have great allies: Intelligence, Curiosity, Parental
Support, Individuality, Creativity, Faith, Love and Laughter all
rush to my domitable support.
And who do I have to thank for this wonderful life I am so
fortunate to experience, but the parents. For you have done
me the great honor to entrust to me your greatest contribution
to eternity, your children.
And so I have a past that is rich in memories. I have a present
that is challenging, adventurous and fun because I am
allowed to spend my days with the future.
I am a teacher...and I thank God.
~John W. Schlatter

33. There are two ways of
spreading light --
to be the candle or
the mirror that reflects it.
-Edith Wharton

34. from Desiderata
by Max Erhmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible
without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to
others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you
may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and
disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here. And whether
or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive God to be; and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

35. To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
The Impossible Dream
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause
And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

36. Henry David Thoreau
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to
teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is
because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which
he hears, however measured or far away.
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.

37. quot;Our lives begin to end the day we become silent
about things that matter.quot;
~Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)

38. quot;Everything should be as
simple as possible --
but not simpler.quot;
- Albert Einstein

39. quot;Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it
is very important that you do it.quot;
~ Mahatma Gandhi

40. The hardest part about this “spiritual quest
for my personal truth” was realizing that
when you let all the “other crap” you’ve
believed in for so long fall away…you find
you really have very little left.
Take Care, My Friends
Monette 