My Best Friend Rocco

By Danielle Azzolina
November 15, 2009

Rocco Fiorentino heads a foundation to help people like him who are blind.

After getting to know my friend Rocco Fiorentino, I have gained a new awareness and appreciation of what a visually impaired person can do.

When I am hanging out with Rocco, I sometimes forget that he is blind. We made a music CD together for fun and it was amazing to watch the way Rocco handled all the equipment. He was the sound engineer and worked the sound mixers and recording instruments with skill and confidence. He also beat me in Wii bowling 171 to 172!

Rocco is only 12 years old and he is already an accomplished musician. He plays the piano, drums, and saxophone. He also sings!

Knowing Rocco has shown me that one person’s life story can make a huge difference in the world. He has also shown me that the resources to help blind children be as accomplished as he is are scarce.

Rocco and his parents started an organization called The Little Rock Foundation to help kids who don’t have access to the education they need to live fulfilling lives. To me, Rocco, has the same spirit, strength, and determination as Helen Keller, who did so much in her lifetime to help the blind community.

You can read more about Rocco and check out an interview I had with Helen Keller’s great grand niece Keller Johnson-Thompson, who is continuing Helen Keller’s legacy:

• Helen Keller’s Legacy: Keller Johnson-Thompson discusses the life and contributions of her Great Grand Aunt Helen Keller.

• In Helen Keller’s Footsteps: Rocco Fiorentino talks about how Keller inspires him to continue her legacy of education and assistance for the blind.

You can also find out how you can help by checking out Rocco’s website, The Little Rock Foundation. Thanks!

PHOTO: Rocco Fiorentino (left) and Kid Reporter Danielle Azzolina (right) at the New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center in Trenton, New Jersey. (Photo Courtesy Danielle Azzolina)

Source: Scholastic News Online

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Tradition With Your Grandchildren

By Betsy Goldberg
November 14, 2009

Turn a simple activity into a legacy that’s treasured for life.

Art projects, movies, and walks around the neighborhood are great, but it’s the special, original, even offbeat activities that bring you closer together. Personal traditions offer benefits that can help your connection prosper, according to Stephan J. Quentzel, M.D., JD. Dr. Quentzel is a psychiatrist and medical director for the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. “Ongoing traditions provide structure and a framework for bonding,” he says. “They also generate anticipation for this fun and meaningful time together.”

We found some clever and creative ways grandparents across the country are bonding with their grandchildren through personal traditions. Adapt some of these tips for yourself, or create some new family traditions of your own.

 

Fired Up: Alice Kandell, New York City, N.Y., two grandchildren
My 3-year-old grandson, Sammy, loves reading about firefighters and fire stations, so about a year ago I started taking him to the local firehouse every so often. First, we stop at the supermarket to buy doughnuts or cookies for the squad. The crew talks with Sammy, flashes the lights for him, and sometimes lets him sit in a truck. I love that I’ve played a part in building on this interest he has, adding another dimension to it. And it’s also great to see him becoming aware of his community and connecting with the people around him.

 

The Write Impression: Dahlia Duran, Oak Brook, Ill., one grandchild
I started a journal for my four-year-old grandson even though he can’t write yet. When I sleep over, I ask him what he would like to remember about his day when he grows up, such as events that took place at his preschool. I write down his answer and he draws a picture on the following page. He loves it! I thought this was a good way to get him to tell me about his day, and when he’s older and learns to write, he can take over the journal.

 

Budding Beauty: Carolyn Sieven, East Montpelier, Vt., three grandchildren
Growing up, we had a large vegetable garden that my parents maintained; later, as an adult, when spring came each year, I would dig and plant. Our vacation house in Vermont has a small flower garden that I try to plant each Memorial Day with things that will bloom when we are there in the summer. My 3-year-old granddaughter, Kate, loves to help with this; in particular, digging holes for the plants, watering them, and looking for earthworms to rescue — she finds them fascinating! The rewards for me cannot be counted; we have a wonderful bond that’s definitely enhanced by our gardening projects. She remembers every detail of what I tell her and what we do, and I can see that she likes to know that she’s participated in something special.

 

Swing Time: Ruth “Mimi” Rutter, Pittsburgh, Pa., six grandchildren
I’ve been an avid golfer all my life, so I’ve shared this with my grandchildren, and several have started to show an interest in the game. Last year I had two grandsons visit for “Mimi’s Golf Camp,” a weeklong session I customized for them, featuring golf clinics with a pro, a private lesson, and short game practice with me. The finale was a nine-hole event we played, until we were chased in by a wild thunderstorm. We’ll do it again next summer — and we may even play 18 holes.

 

Tale-gating Party: Kathleen Hammond, Seattle, Wash., five grandchildren
When I spend the night with my grandchildren, they like me to tell a story about my childhood instead of reading books to them before bed. Sometimes I also include stories about their father’s antics as a child, which they love even more! I’ve started to suggest that they each tell a few stories, too, about whatever they choose — and it’s amazing what they come up with. I enjoy seeing their storytelling skills expand, as well as their creativity and imagination.

 

Back-to-School Daze: Fran Claro, Irvington, N.Y., 11 grandchildren (Fran is the staff copy editor at Grandparents.com)
When I was in grade school, my grandmother always bought me a dress to wear on the first day of school. Fashions are way too varied today, so I buy school supplies for my grandkids and give them a family back-to-school party. Even the little ones reminisce at the party: ‘Remember the time we bought the wrong folders?’ Pencil cases and lunch boxes are major topics of discussion: Those emblazoned with TV and movie cartoon characters when they were in kindergarten, followed by superheroes, and now the latest for the older kids: environmentally-friendly brown paper bags. I’m pretty sure they’ll share these memories with their own kids, and I hope they will pass along the tradition.

 

Tradition-Starting Guidance
1. Make a list of common interests you have with your grandchildren, as a starting point; then think about related activities that are simple, reproducible over time, and flexible enough to change or adapt as your grandchildren grow older.

2. Children tend to greatly value a connection to family roots, says Dr. Quentzel, so they’re likely to love hearing about a tradition you had as a child, and replicating it themselves.

3. Give older grandchildren real input into designing a tradition together — they’ll be more invested in it and will want to keep it going.

Start a new tradition by taking your grandchild on a yearly fishing trip. Learn more about Italian heritage and cooking in our Know Your Noodles article. And for helpful tips on how to bond with a new grandchild, click here.

 

Editor’s Note: Betsy Goldberg is a New York City-based writer and editor. She has covered fashion, travel, beauty, home design, and relationships for New York Magazine, Health, Chicago Social, and the New York Sun. Goldberg, co-author of BusinessWeek‘s Guide to the Best Business Schools, she is the deputy editor at Modern Bride.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Grandparants

God’s Cover Letter

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Nov. 13, 2009

Do you know what “Joylogy” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@youngchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist then would be one who studies joy logy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joylogy, and joyologis with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think, this is from an unknown reader. It is called: God’s Cover Letter

 

By Unknown

To Whom It May Concern:

I heard you were considering a new manager in your life. I would like to apply for the job. I believe I am the most qualified candidate. I am the only one that has even done this job successfully.

I was the first manager of human beings. In fact I made them, so naturally I know how humanity works, and what is best to get people back into proper working condition. It will be like having the manufacturer as your personal mechanic.

If this is your first time considering me, I would just like to point out that my salary has already been paid by the blood of my son, Jesus on the cross of Calvary. What I need from you is the acknowledgment that the price is sufficient to pay for all of your sin and your independence from me. I need you to believe this in your heart and to tell somebody else about your decision with your mouth.

The next thing I ask is the right to change and fix your life so you can learn how to stay close to me. I will make some major changes and revisions. They are not for you to worry about. I need your permission to execute these changes, my way and in my time. I will change your desires and give you the strength to make the changes.

Please keep your hands out of the way. Don’t try to help me and don’t resist me. I really do need your full commitment and cooperation. If you give me those, the process can go smoothly, without delays.

Yours Sincerely,
GOD

P.S. I created the heavens and the earth. I AM. BELOW IS MY RESUME…

 

GOD
Everywhere
All over, Every Place 00000
Phone: (123) 456-PRAY
EXPERIENCE
From the beginning of time. Before the beginning of time. From everlasting to everlasting. I made time.

 

ABILITY
All Powerful

 

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT
*Created the universe, put the galaxies in place, formed man.
*Established heaven and earth by my spoken Word and am currently holding up the world by my power.

 

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
*I AM and I have all knowledge.

 

CHARACTER REFERENCE
Love, light, and life (1John 4:16, 1John 1:5, John 14:6).
A representative, but by no means conclusive list of other character traits follows:

• Wisdom – James 1:5
• Comfort – 2 Corinthians 1:3
• Truth – John 8:32
• Healer – 1 Peter 2:24
• Strength – Phil. 4:13
• Forgiveness – 1John 1:9
• Provider – Phil. 4:19
• Mercy – Ephesians 2:24
• Good – Matt. 19:17
• Peace – Romans 14:17

 

AVAILABILITY

• Willing and ready to take over your life.
• Able to put your life together again.
• Will bring all of who I AM into your life.
• Can start now.
• Will transform your life if you let me.

 

SALARY REQUIREMENT

• Work in your life has already been paid for through the blood of My Son, Jesus.
• Your only responsibility is to commit initially and on a daily basis.
• To trust and obey what Jesus has done and wants to do in your life.

 

Other references available upon request.

Source: Joyology

Just Passing Through

by Jim Liebelt
GCC/Staff 
Nov. 6, 2009
 
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. -Psalm 33:11

 

Did you know that this year worldwide, it’s estimated that over 57 million people will die? We hear, read or see a lot about deaths due to violence, war, disease and accidents. Yet, it amazes me to consider just how many people die of all causes.
 
There’s just no escaping the fact that everyone dies sooner or later from one cause or another. It’s a good reminder of just how fleeting our lives are.
 
For me, time seems to be moving faster and faster the older I get and it is strange to think that based on an average lifespan, I have fewer ticks of the clock left than those that have already gone by. I’m also reminded, however, that our time on earth is not the entire story.

God’s story-His plan for the world-is continually unfolding. And, everyone has a role to play.
 
Make no mistake about it: You are part of God’s story! God has chosen that people be given temporary charge of the planet.
 
Further, Christ-followers are given temporary charge as God’s ambassadors-His personal representatives to be His messengers to enlarge His place in the hearts and minds of people. With these “charges” also come responsibility and accountability.
 
According to the Scriptures, there really will be a judgment day where we will have to give an account for our stewardship.
 
In a world of 6.8 billion people, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that in God’s story, every person matters. You may feel sometimes like just another lemming in the crowd on the way to the end of the cliff! But, I believe that what God said to Jeremiah applies to each person, “before you were born, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).
 
In God’s story, you matter! We may not be able to see beyond the current chapter of how our lives play out in His story. But as Christ-followers, I do know this:
 
Our most important tasks involve doing the necessary things that lead to growth in our relationship with Jesus so that we may in ever-increasing fashion reflect Jesus in all we do.
 
In this way, we pass on this unfolding story of what God has done and what He is doing in the world to following generations. Then, at the end of our days, we can rest assured that we have kept God’s story moving along. 
 
Source: Home Word

Editor’s Note: We would like to hear from you. Do you have a favorite one that you would like to share with our readers? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

Have Fun with Math

By Apples 4 the Teacher
Nov. 1, 2009

Are you tired of your dull and boring math assignments? Then you have come to the right place! This article is all about fun and effective activities to help you master your addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Make sure to ask your parents before using food and other household supplies that are recommended for these activities!

One of the best (and yummiest) ways to master your basic arithmetic is with food! Candy, crackers, or just about any other snack can be used to help you with your skills. Make sure the food is something you can separate into individual pieces, like crackers or skittles. You need pieces so you can add and subtract parts. Ask your parents if you can get a treat from the store or the cupboard to help you with your math.

Once you have access to food, you can get started. Using an actual item, like food, helps a lot of kids because you actually get to see the math that you are doing. It is not longer a random and abstract concept! You can even use your food to help you solve your math homework problems.

For example, if your assignment is a worksheet with word problems, use your food to help you compute the arithmetic. If the question asks you to add numbers together, take this number of your individual pieces of food and add them together.

If your parents won’t let you use food, there are many other items in your house that work just as well. Crayons, pencils, and paperclips are good alternatives because they are easy to move and around and you can use them for math without having to waste them. Make sure that whatever you use is not something that you will not be able to reuse later.

For example, it would not be a good idea to use tissues or toilet paper because you will just have to throw them away after solving your math. You would use crayons, pencils, or paper clips the same way that you would use food. Each item can be added together or separated apart to help you see the math you are doing.

Games are another great way to conquer your math! There are many games that involve math concepts. These include cards, dominoes, checkers, chess, and Yahtzee. Are you surprised that these games are listed as math helpers?

Take a second to think about the skills that are needed to play these games. Cards and dominoes require an understanding of numbers, checkers and chess use logic which is closely tied to math, and Yahtzee requires players to add and multiple numbers!

This means the next time your parents nag you to study your math you can request to play a game with them (if they have a hard time with that, have them read this article and other math related articles located on this site). However, please understand that games and other activities that are listed in this article should not be considered replacements to homework and studying; therefore, you still have to finish your daily assignments and will have to do other more serious forms of studying part of the time.

There are also math games on the computer and the Internet that will help you understand the math skills that are plaguing you. Many kids’ sites have links to online math games. Be sure to check out ours in the resource directory! If you are having a lot of problems with your math class, then you might want to check out a more specialized math game.

Ask your parents about online tutoring. Online tutoring lessons combine fun math games with specialized instruction. This means you get to play fun games and get a lot of extra help with math class. Your parents can learn more about online tutoring by reading the articles on our site.

As you can see, there are more ways to learn math than just through math assignments! The next time you get bored or need a little more help figuring out your math assignment, try the tips and activities that were listed in this article. Hopefully they will be fun and effective for you.

Source: Apples 4 the Teacher

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what games you play to help your child learn math. dan@youngchronicle.com

Hut’s On Fire

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Oct. 31, 2009

Do you know what “Joyology” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist then would be one who studies joylogy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joyology, and joyologist with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think, this is from an unknown reader. It is called: Hut’s On Fire

 

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, Uninhabited Island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Everyday he Scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his Little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst Had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief and anger He cried out, “God! How could you do this to me?”

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship Approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! “How did you know I was here?,” asked the weary man of his rescuers. “We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

The Moral of This Story:
It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t
lose heart, because God is at work in our lives…. even In the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time Your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a Smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

 

Source: Joyology

God and the Spider

By Unknown
Oct. 21, 2009

  

Editor’s Note: Do you know what “Joyology” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@youngchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist then would be one who studies joylogy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joyology, and joyologist with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think about:  God and the Spider   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.” After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one.” Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. “Hah, he thought. “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor.”

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. “Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man. “I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall.”

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, “In God we will have success!” [Nehemiah 2:20]

Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can become a brick wall of protection. Believe He is with you always. Just speak His name through Jesus His son, and you will see His great power and love for you.

Source: Joyology

 

http://www.joyology.org

History of Halloween

By Apples 4 the Teacher
Oct. 20, 2009

Halloween is a traditional celebration held on October 31st. Today, Halloween is an excuse for Halloween theme costume parties, and entertainment with horror films, haunted houses and other activities around the popular themes of ghosts, witches, Dracula, werewolves and the supernatural.

Children love to dress up in halloween costumes and go from door-to-door in their neighborhood following the old tradition of trick-or-treating, collecting sweets and gifts, sometimes money.

Halloween began as an ancient Celtic festival in Great Britain and Ireland, and has survived most strongly among Irish, Scottish and Welsh communities. Immigrants from these communities carried the tradition to North America where it has gained in popularity.

In turn, as part of American pop culture, Halloween has spread in popularity to most corners of the English speaking western world, and increasingly into Western Europe in recent times.

Originally Halloween was a pagan festival, around the idea of linking the living with the dead, when contact became possible between the spirits and the physical world, and magical things were more likely to happen.

Like most pagan festivals, long ago it was absorbed into the festivals of the expanding Christian church, and became associated with All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, which eventually fell on November 1 under the Gregorian calendar. A vigil for the festival was held on All Hallows Evening on October 31. In the vernacular of the times, All Hallows Evening became Hallowe’en and later the Halloween we know today.

The celebration of Halloween survived most strongly in Ireland. It was an end of summer festival, and was often celebrated in each community with a bonfire to ward off the evil spirits. Children would go from door to door in disguise as creatures from the underworld  to collect treats, mainly fruit, nuts and the like for the festivities.

These were used for playing traditional games like eating an apple on a string or bobbing for apples and other gifts in a basin of water, without using your hands. Salt might be sprinkled on the visiting children to ward off evil spirits. Carving turnips as ghoulish faces to hold candles became a popular part of the festival, which has been adapted to carving pumpkins in America.

Halloween is usually celebrated by both adults and kids. Some families celebrate by having costume parties and playing special games like bobbing for apples and telling ghost stories. Sometimes children go “trick or treating” – knocking on doors in their trusted neighborhoods collecting candy.

Other times they may attend a community party instead. Parents should use common sense when supervising their child’s Halloween activities.

In earlier years, Halloween was a time for playing harmless pranks. However, in more recent times, Halloween pranks have sometimes gotten out of hand – causing damage and injury to others.

Schools usually prefer to celebrate Halloween by having children dress as storybook characters. In this way, children are still allowed to “dress up, ” and the holiday becomes both fun and educational.

Source: Apples 4 the Teacher

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchroniclle.com

Teenager Inspires Us All

By Dr. Laura
Oct. 16, 2009

Editor’s Note: If you have an inspiring story, we would love to hear  from you. dan@youngchronicle.com We hope you will enjoy this story and it would inspire you to help others.

 

The Hartford Courant recently published an essay by Justin Verrier on a Connecticut female teenage swimmer.  “After swimming laps at a recent practice in the Glastonbury High School pool, Rachel Grusse told her coach, Suzi Hoyt, her shoulder felt sore.  Hoyt responded as she always does to such concerns by her swimmers.  Instructing Grusse to put on flippers and ‘kick for a little while’ to rest her arms.  ‘I just looked up at her and told her, Um…I don’t think I can do that, Grusse said, smiling.”

Remember the word smiling.  When Grusse was 16 months old, it was discovered that she was born without a spleen, and she contracted a form of bacterial pneumonia that cut off the blood flow to her extremities, which resulted in the cutting off of her legs at the base of her knees, as well as the last joint of her fingers.

Now, many teenage girls with just a few pimples would hide in their bedrooms, but not Rachel.  With the help of prosthetic legs, she has participated in all types of sports, including soccer and, most recently, wheelchair basketball, but swimming is her passion.  Since she has to rely on her upper body for swimming, she does a lot of upper body strengthening, like…walking on her hands!

Her comment?  “I’ve just heard some people say that I’m an example to other kids.  But to me, I don’t feel like I’m any different. I’m just doing what I can, and doing the best that I can. “

She swims against “normal” swimmers and rarely wins, but she loves the sport anyway.

She swims against others who are disabled and often places, but not always, and she loves the sport anyway.

Since she has no memory of having had legs, for her, it is kind of “normal” – the real amazing quality of hers is her attitude to just do what she can and do the best that she can.

Disabled or not, that is the winning attitude in life that ultimately brings you happiness.  She does what she loves and does the best she can at it.  Period.  There is a lesson in that for everyone.

Source: Dr Laura

StarFish

By Unknown
Oct. 15, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: Do you know what “Joyology” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@youngchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist, then would be one who studies joylogy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joyology, and joyologist with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think about:  Starfish

 

The old man awoke just before sunrise, as he often did, to walk by the ocean’s edge and greet the new day. As he moved through the morning dawn, he focused on a faint, far away motion.

He 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 he approached, he 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.

He 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, the old man 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 and the old man 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 the man, he said,

“I made a difference to that one.”

Source: Joyology

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