Saturday, August 4, 2012

Make a Difference

One of my passions in life is to make a difference.  To some that may mean big mission trips, fame, or a huge impact in the world.  It would be nice to have a huge heartwarming story where an entire class or group is changed...like those movies on TV where a teacher comes in and everyone's lives are better for it.  That would be a wonderful thing, but most of the time that is not reality.  Having a passion to make a difference as a teacher may make you frustrated when you look at the struggling students, those who may be slipping through the cracks. However, I always come back to the Starfish Story and am inspired that even if I only touch one life...that is all the difference for me!

The Starfish Story
Two men were walking toward each other on an otherwise deserted beach.  One man was young, the other much older.  The smooth damp sand was littered with starfish, washed onto the land during high tide.  They were stranded there when the tide ebbed.  Thousands of starfish were doomed to die in the hot morning sun.


As they came near one another the younger man watched the older man bend down and pick up a starfish one at a time and gently toss them back into the ocean, giving them a chance to survive.  The young man thought, "How foolish.  Why does he bother, he can't save them all."  He felt compelled to point out to the older man the futility in his action.  "You know that you can't save them all.  Most of them will die here on the sand.  What you are doing really won't make a difference at all."  


The older man studied the young man for a moment. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and tossed it into the water.  He smiled at the young man and said, "It made a difference to that one."  Then he walked on, picking up one starfish at a time and tossing them back into the sea. 
 
One of my favorite quotes is from Helen Keller: " I am only one; but still I am one.  
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do." 

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