A boy was standing on a beach littered with starfish. As far as the eye could see, the sand was a twisted mass of tentacles. Time after time he would bend down, pick up one of the stranded animals, and throw it as hard as he could back into the surf. After awhile a man approached the boy and asked, "What are you doing that for? There are too many of them to make a difference?"
The little boy thought for a moment then looking down at the starfish clutched in his hand, he answered, "It matters to this one."
The matter of one; it can be easily start with one piece of litter, one empty soda can, one flip top, one can of tuna, one sandwich, one used winter coat, one newspaper, one box top for education translating into a cleaner environment, a nickle for charity, money to help the families of seriously ill children, a dinner, a lunch, warmth, money for nonprofits.
Irena Sendler saw a problem and she acted, one child at a time. How lucky for those 2500 children she chose to rescue from the Nazis. Life mattered to each of them.
4 comments:
Great post, Patty. Sometimes we do forget that if each of us gave up because what we can do seems so small, nothing would get accomplished.
Author Charles de Lint told this story somewhere once... can't remeber where but it stuck with me. You should try reading him... you might like him.
I heard it someone as well, and it has stuck with me.
If all reached to only one in a loving way...what a different world we would live in....the kind He came and died for...
Post a Comment