Tim’s Mom, Betty, reminded me of the story of the starfish as we prepare for our trip. I find myself feeling overwhelmed with how much things that are to do and the differences I wish to make for people. I know that there are so many people who need so much.  And really, I ultimately realize- Tim and I will be the ones most affected by the beautiful people of Kenya.

While walking the beach, a man saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the sea.

As he came closer, he saw thousands of starfish the tide had thrown onto the beach. Unable to return to the ocean during low tide, the starfish were dying. He observed a young boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean.

After watching the seemingly futile effort, the observer said, “There must be thousands of starfish on this beach. It would be impossible for you to save all of them. There are simply too many. You can’t possibly make a difference.”

The young boy smiled as he picked up another starfish and tossed it back into the ocean. “It made a difference to that one,” he replied.

I can’t find the name of the author – anyone know?