Tomoko Shioyasu (1972-) creates her tapestries by cutting into large single sheets of paper with utility knives and soldering irons. As she plays with negative spaces her organic patterns begin to emerge. When asked about the content in her work Shioyasu replied, “Simply nature itself, particularly that which has existed over an extended period of time—rocks, trees, water channels, cells. I want to look into the essence and roots of life, making works that focus on these basic forms.”.
It’s a time-honored tradition at Navy homecomings – one lucky sailor is chosen to be first off the ship for the long-awaited kiss with a loved one.
Today, for the first time, the happily reunited couple was gay.The dock landing ship Oak Hill has been gone for nearly three months, training with military allies in Central America.
As the homecoming drew near, the crew and ship’s family readiness group sold $1 raffle tickets for the first kiss. Petty Officer 2nd Class Marissa Gaeta bought 50 - which is actually fewer than many people buy, she said, so she was surprised Monday to find out she’d won.
Her girlfriend of two years, Petty Officer 3rd Class Citlalic Snell, was waiting when she crossed the brow.
They kissed. The crowd cheered. And with that, another vestige of the policy that forced gays to serve in secrecy vanished.
By Corinne Reilly
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 21, 2011squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
(via lieblingherz)
65,044 notes
#beautiful
The Empire State Building lit up in a rainbow for the legalization of gay marriage in New York. It’s beautiful!
3 notes
#gay rights
#equality
#beautiful
#new york
SO PRECIOUS. This makes me so grateful for everything I have. They’re so wonderful. He has an adorable smile.
Here’s the youtube clip.
Omg that last picture is so adorable.
adorable. :)
90,902 notes
#beautiful
ifonlyyouknewwhatyouwantedtosay:
Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.
But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.
He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.
“He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, ‘Here you go,’” Diaz says.
As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”
The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, “like what’s going on here?” Diaz says. “He asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?’”
Diaz replied: “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me … hey, you’re more than welcome.
“You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help,” Diaz says.
Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.
“The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi,” Diaz says. “The kid was like, ‘You know everybody here. Do you own this place?’”
“No, I just eat here a lot,” Diaz says he told the teen. “He says, ‘But you’re even nice to the dishwasher.’”
Diaz replied, “Well, haven’t you been taught you should be nice to everybody?”
“Yea, but I didn’t think people actually behaved that way,” the teen said.
Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. “He just had almost a sad face,” Diaz says.
The teen couldn’t answer Diaz — or he didn’t want to.
When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, “Look, I guess you’re going to have to pay for this bill ‘cause you have my money and I can’t pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I’ll gladly treat you.”
The teen “didn’t even think about it” and returned the wallet, Diaz says. “I gave him $20 … I figure maybe it’ll help him. I don’t know.”
Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen’s knife — “and he gave it to me.”
Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, “You’re the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch.”
“I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”
This is amazing.. Its kinda epic & life changing! ♥
(via lieblingherz)
96,823 notes
#inspiring
#hope
#kindness
#beautiful
It’s easier for a 14 year old girl to keep her baby than it is for them to keep theirs. Let’s just dwell on this for a second.
i think i’ve reblogged this 3 times.
Never not reblog this
I’m almost in tears.. and I am at school
I will always reblog this!
its adorable!
(via fuckyeahhappy)
87,078 notes
#beautiful
#happy
Such a beautiful song and story….really makes a person believe in love. :)
3 notes
#video
#beautiful
#inspirational
#love
Reality.

I took this picture on the way to school last fall. I find it amazing that everybody has their own reality. Based on our own individual experiences and our views on life, everything looks different, even the picture above. I find nature to be quite beautiful, hence why I tried to capture it on film. However, other people may disagree with me and say that the above picture is nothing special, and they see clouds everyday.
In any case, each individual person derives their reality from their past experiences. No one can 100% empathize with another person because no one ever has the same experiences as another. They may be similar, but they are never exactly the same. Thus one can empathize with another person to a certain extent, but depending on the situation, they have molded themselves differently.
I have a friend who is usually brutally honest with me about life views. The truth hurts, but it makes a person more level headed and less arrogant.
Regardless, I like to see the good in people. At least I try to. That’s why I’m more of a happy-go-lucky person.
If my mom looked at the picture above, she would say, “It’s a beautiful day to be alive.”
She has said this to me once before, and I believe her each and every single day I am on this Earth.






