Journey of Hearts

When I first read this story, I was struck by the message. I realized that this story underscores the reason why many of us continue to try and make a difference. It is a perfect example of how one person can make a difference. Obviously I was not the only one struck by the message of the Starfish, since it was chosen as the theme for this years National Volunteer Week.

We need people who can keep throwing back the starfish, time and again, realizing that some may wash up to the shore and need to be tossed back into the ocean again. The rewards are realized by recognizing that every so often, we really do make a difference, a life is turned around and that starfish becomes a star.

As I moved through the morning dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion.
I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin. As I approached, I realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea.

I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back into the sea."

As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond eyesight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."

The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said,