The boy & the starfish

One day a man was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance during the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that it was a boy and the boy wasn't dancing, but instead, he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The boy paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, 'Why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up, and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in, they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realise that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The boy listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

The man left the boy and went home, deep in thought. Later that day, he returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish into the sea.

DOING OUR PART:
Have you ever found yourself thinking, "No, I won't do it, what difference does it make?"

The man in the story didn't see any point in doing anything to help the starfish, but the boy knew better.

"It made a difference to that one."

The boy understood that although he couldn't save all the starfish stranded on the beach, he could still do something to help a few starfish.

* Everyone can make a DIFFERENCE in someone's life *