The Celtics Success This Year Can Be Attributed In-Part To A Brave Blind Boy And His Father's Dogged Determination

While browsing ESPN's website today and reading about how the Boston Celtics are going to the NBA Finals to play the Los Angeles Lakers, which happens to be one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and one that the youth of today have never known, I found an article that caught my attention. The article tells the story of how a blind boy is one of the main reasons why the Celtics are back in the spotlight.

It all started in California back in 1992, when Campbell Grousbeck was born. Campbell is blind, and he happens to be the son of Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck, who is the chief executive officer of the Boston Celtics. Wyc and his wife Corrine wanted to give Campbell the best life possible, which is what led them all the way across the country to New England to the Perkins School, which is one of the leading school's in the country for blind people, and became famous for education Hellen Keller.

Once arriving in the Boston area in 1995, Wyc found work with an investment capital firm that later would lead to him leading a group to buy the Boston Celtics in 2002. It really is a cool story how one child's challenges led to an amazing turnaround for a basketball team.

To read this entire story that goes into detail of how this all came about, visit this page on ESPN.com.

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Working From Home - Dealing With Distractions?

So, what kind of distractions do you deal with when working from home? Here's one I have to deal with on an ongoing basis. Biscuit and Fudgie transforming the upstairs hallway into a race course... Labs... Gotta love 'em.

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Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

Every now and then, you need to take a few moments to have a laugh. I received this via email today and thought I'd share. (My favorites are Colonel Sanders, Colin Powell and Al Gore) Enjoy!

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a CHANGE! The chicken wanted CHANGE!

JOHN MCCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure – right from Day One! – that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me…

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on THIS side of the road before it goes after the problem on the OTHER SIDE of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his CURRENT problems before adding NEW problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road…

ANDERSON COOPER – CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going.. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information…

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side'. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life-long dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your check book. Internet Explorer is an integral part of the Chicken. This new platform is much more stable and will never cra… #@&&^(C% …reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did NOT cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of 'chicken'?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

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Dwyane Wade Buys His Mother A Divine Mother's Day Gift

D-Wade's present for his mother on Mother's Day was definitely one of a kind. His mother cleaned up her act about seven years ago after years of urging by her children, she got help and got clean. Along the way, she devoted her life to spreading the word of God, starting her first ministry while doing time in state prison.

So, what did D-Wade buy his mother? Her own church. Now that's definitely an original gift... Read the entire story on this page on SunTimes.com.

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Six Tips for Tackling a Dreaded Task

From Gimundo.com -- So, you've gotta do something you are really dreading. If you're like most of us, you'll procrastinate as long as you can before doing it. But, if you follow these six tips, you just might find that it's not that hard to tackle those tasks.

1. Do it first thing in the morning. A no-brainer. If you just do it first thing without giving it much thought. It'll be much easier, and it'll make the rest of your day that much better
2. If you find yourself putting off a task that you try to do several times a week, try doing it EVERY day, instead. This works with many tasks. If you want to exercise a few days a week, but find yourself slacking, then just start doing it every day. It'll become a daily routine, and you won't even think about it anymore.
3. Have someone keep you company. Following up tip #2, if you can't exercise alone, then find a friend to go with you. You'll keep each other on track, and it'll make the activity much more enjoyable.
4. Make preparations, assemble the proper tools. One of the biggest reasons people procrastinate is because they're not prepared. Take the time to prepare, and there won't be any reason to procrastinate.
5. Commit. This applies to long-term and short-term goals. One example: Every morning, write down on a piece of paper exactly what you MUST accomplish today, and commit to it and do it.
6. Remind yourself that finishing a dreaded task is tremendously energizing. Remember how great it feels to finally finish a dreaded task? Just remembering is motivation to do it.
   

I hope these tips help you tackle a task you've been dreading. I know they helped me. If you'd like to read more about each of these tips, please visit this page on Gimundo.com.

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President Bush Gives Medal of Honor To Navy SEAL

This is one of those stories that no matter what your political affiliation, will make you stop and truly appreciate the sacrifices that our men and women in the armed forces are making on a daily basis.

Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor gave his life to save his comrades in Iraq. It happened on a rooftop in Iraq. A grenade came out of nowhere and bounced off of Monsoor's chest. He knew that he could either jump off the roof and save himself, grab the grenade and try to throw it away before it exploded or jump on top of it and save the lives of his fellow soldiers. Without hesitation, Monsoor jumped on top of the grenade and saved his friends' lives.

Monsoor was given the Medal of Honor by President Bush in a ceremony last week at the White House. Monsoor's parents were on hand to accept the award. It was a very emotional service, and one that all those in attendance will never forget. To read the entire story of Monsoor's heroic act, please visit this page on HappyNews.com.

Remember our troops and make it a great day!

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Softball Players Help Injured Opponent Score Home Run

It's funny how doing the right thing is sometimes the wrong thing to do. Such is the case in this story from Gimundo.com. Sara Tucholsky, a player on the Western Oregon University softball team, hit a home run in a game against Central Washington, but as she was headed to first base, her knee buckled and she went down. It's against the rules for your own team to help you around the bases, so since she was unable to run herself, it looked as though the home run wouldn't count.

But, two players from the opposing team actually picked Sara up and carried her around the bases stopping on each base so she could touch the bag with her foot. This selfless act moved Sara's teammates to tears, but it also cost Central Washington the playoffs because they were disqualified.

But, doing the right thing was the only thing to do. Central Washington may have lost out on the playoffs, but their character was stronger than ever. Here's a quick video about the event from The Today Show:



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Getting To Know The Real John McCain

The other day, a friend emailed me an article from the WSJ.com entitled, Getting To Know John McCain. I found it to be a very interesting and enlightening article. Until I read this article, I really didn't know that much about Senator McCain other than he was a prisoner-of-war, and he's definitely more liberal than the average Republican. But, here are some of the interesting things I learned about him from this article:

Col. Bud Day, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, fighter pilot, Vietnam POW and roommate of John McCain at the Hanoi Hilton relayed this story about John McCain to the author:

Mr. Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, "I told you I would make you a cripple."

The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day's will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at "a goofy angle," as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again.

But it didn't heal that way because of John McCain. Risking severe punishment, Messrs. McCain and Day collected pieces of bamboo in the prison courtyard to use as a splint. Mr. McCain put Mr. Day on the floor of their cell and, using his foot, jerked the broken bone into place. Then, using strips from the bandage on his own wounded leg and the bamboo, he put Mr. Day's splint in place.

Years later, Air Force surgeons examined Mr. Day and complimented the treatment he'd gotten from his captors. Mr. Day corrected them. It was Dr. McCain who deserved the credit. Mr. Day went on to fly again.

Later in the story:

Another McCain story, somewhat better known, is about the Vietnamese practice of torturing him by tying his head between his ankles with his arms behind him, and then leaving him for hours. The torture so badly busted up his shoulders that to this day Mr. McCain can't raise his arms over his head.

One night, a Vietnamese guard loosened his bonds, returning at the end of his watch to tighten them again so no one would notice. Shortly after, on Christmas Day, the same guard stood beside Mr. McCain in the prison yard and drew a cross in the sand before erasing it. Mr. McCain later said that when he returned to Vietnam for the first time after the war, the only person he really wanted to meet was that guard.

And, one other story:

For example, in 1991 Cindy McCain was visiting Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh when a dying infant was thrust into her hands. The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save her life, so Mrs. McCain brought the child home to America with her. She was met at the airport by her husband, who asked what all this was about.

Mrs. McCain replied that the child desperately needed surgery and years of rehabilitation. "I hope she can stay with us," she told her husband. Mr. McCain agreed. Today that child is their teenage daughter Bridget.

I was aware of this story. What I did not know, and what I learned from Doris, is that there was a second infant Mrs. McCain brought back. She ended up being adopted by a young McCain aide and his wife.

"We were called at midnight by Cindy," Wes Gullett remembers, and "five days later we met our new daughter Nicki at the L.A. airport wearing the only clothing Cindy could find on the trip back, a 7-Up T-shirt she bought in the Bangkok airport." Today, Nicki is a high school sophomore. Mr. Gullett told me, "I never saw a hospital bill" for her care.

To read this story in it's entirety, please visit this page on WSJ.com.

Also, if you'd like to read another story written by a P.O.W. who was in the same prison as John McCain, visit this page on WSJ.com. It's definitely worth the read.

I'm posting this article today not necessarily to influence you to vote for John McCain for President, but rather to give you some insight into his character and resolve. It appears that the election will be between McCain and Senator Obama. Both men have a lot of strengths and weaknesses. And, as in most Presidential elections, the deciding factor many times comes down to character. Who has the stronger character? I'll let you decide.

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An Update On The Lilli Grace Memorial Foundation Golf Tournament

I received the following email today from a friend who I featured a short while back. He was trying to raise money for the Lilli Grace Memorial Foundation:

Thank you again for posting the information about our golf tournament for the Lilli Grace Memorial Foundation. I just wanted to give you an update on how it went. The tournament was a blast and on top of a beautiful day for golf, we raised over $30,000 for the foundation!!!! 5 of us are headed to Fletcher, NC on May 18th to ride in a Century (100 mile) bicycle ride with Team in Training. The Lilli Grace Memorial Foundation will be making a $5,000 donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that weekend!

It just goes to show what you can accomplish when people come together for a great cause. Thank you for your support and for always reporting the good news, seems the media is afraid of it! You can view pictures of the tournament on www.lilligrace.com . We will be posting pics and updates throughout the year.

Eddie, I'm glad I was able to help spread the news about the event, and thank you to all the Positive Pelham readers for your support! This is what it's all about. Sharing good news while helping those in need.

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Want To Be Successful? Make Your Momma Proud!

For those of you who are golf fans or used to watch the Masters golf tournament years ago, then you recognize the name Ken Venturi. Mr. Venturi was CBS' lead golf analyst for years, and he was a very successful golfer himself, winning the US Open, and almost winning the Masters as an amateur.

I was reading an article about him this morning in GolfWeek magazine, and one statement he made really made an impression on me. He said that the key to his success is always making sure that whatever he does would make his mother and father proud. As I thought about it, it made even more sense. If you're doing something that you know your mother and father would not approve of, then no matter how much success you have, something will always be missing.

Obviously, this is just another way of saying, you need to do the right thing, but it's a very creative and powerful way to live your life. And, hey, there's nothing better than knowing that you've made your mom or dad proud, right?

Good luck and make it a great day!

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