A woman was walking along a beach. During the night there had been a mighty storm and all along the high watermark were thousands of starfish, washed up by the huge waves. It was early but the sun was already hot in the sky and the starfish were rapidly drying out and dying; there was no hope of the next high tide reaching them and their fate was sealed.

In the distance the woman saw an old man, stooped with age walking as quickly as he could, back and forth between the great mass of starfish and the ocean’s edge.  Each time he would pick up a single starfish and carry it back to the sea, placing it gently in the surf.

On reaching the old man, the woman said, ‘You know that you are wasting your time, old man. There are thousands of starfish here and they will all be dead before very long. You should rest, there is no point in wasting your time for your efforts here will make no difference’.

The old man stopped briefly, smiled at the young woman and said. ‘You are right, I will not be able to make a difference to all of them’.  Still smiling, he looked down at the starfish in his hand and said, ' but it will make a big difference to this one'. 

A little while later a man was walking along the beach. He too, was shocked by the sheer numbers of starfish swiftly dying now on the beach. In the distance he saw an old man and a young woman walking as quickly as they could, back and forth between the great mass of starfish and the ocean’s edge.  Each time they would pick up a starfish and carry it back to the sea, placing it gently in the surf.

On reaching the couple, the man said, ‘You know that you two are wasting your time. There are thousands of starfish here and they will all be dead before very long. There is no point in wasting your time, your efforts here will make no difference’.

The old man and the woman stopped briefly and looked at each other. The old man nodded and the young woman smiled at the man and said, ‘You are right, I will not be able to make a difference to all of them.......’.

A little while later, a young child was walking along a beach…..

No small act of kindness is ever wasted. Regardless of the form or even the outcome, it lifts the heart and is a voice for the very spirit of humanity