"The Starfish"
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his
writing.  He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he 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 to the day.  So he began to walk faster to catch
up.  As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man
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 young man 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 realize that there are miles and miles of beach,
and starfish all along it.  You can't possibly make a difference!"  The
young man listened politely.  Then bent down, picked another starfish and
threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a
difference for that one."
 
** you see, one person CAN make a difference, no matter how big the task **
 
-this is to those of you who feel that you are only one person in a
world of millions.... you can make things happen!!
[Posted in FML issue 2460]