Dear Friend,

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 starting work.

One day, while walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As a result, he walked faster to catch up with this individual.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was a young man and he was not dancing after all. He was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects and throwing them into the ocean.

As he approached, he called out "Good morning. May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “throwing starfish into the ocean.”

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

To this, the young man replied, “the sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

The writer commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it into the ocean. As it sank into the ocean, he said: “It made a difference for that one.”

This week you can make a difference for that one too.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are and a difference will be made.

You may not be able to do it all, but don’t let that stop you. Take it one fish at a time, one person at a time, one task at a time, one community at a time. It will make a difference to that one.

Shalom (Peace)