The power of one Published Oct. 15, 2010 By Chaplain Aaron Klaves 452 AMW Chaplain's Office MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- A young man was walking along a beach one day. Not long into his morning stroll, he came across an elderly gentleman standing near the water's edge, picking up objects and throwing them out into the ocean. "Sir, do you mind if I ask what you're doing," the young man asked. "I'm throwing starfish back into the ocean," the older man replied. "As you can see, it's low tide and many of them have washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back, they'll die." The younger man's eyes fell to the ground, noticing scores of starfish scattered along the beach. A look of skepticism crossed his face. "But Sir, in just this mile stretch of beach there are probably hundreds of these washed-up starfish," he said. "In fact, there may be thousands of these creatures stranded along the entire coastline this very minute. You're obviously not going to get to them all. Why bother? You can't possibly make that big of a difference." The old man thought for a moment, then suddenly bent down once again, reached for another starfish, straightened back up, and threw it as far as he could out into the crashing waves. Looking back at the young man with a smile, he answered, "Made a pretty big difference to that one." When overwhelmed with our own problems and pressures, it's easy to look at others who struggle and wonder what one person with limited resources can do. Especially in tough financial times, when we're all feeling the pinch, it's natural to think, "What difference could I possibly make?" The starfish story reminds us of a simple rule of resiliency--the difference of one. That is, even the seemingly smallest of efforts can make the biggest of differences. And so often, the greatest differences are found when we simply choose the proper perspective. Do you know someone that could use some help? Perhaps it's a neighbor or a coworker who's suffering the symptoms of a sick economy. You might think, "Hey, right now, I can't afford to give hand-outs; and even if I could, that person probably wouldn't take a hand-out." But, ask yourself, "Could that person use a hand?" Remember, what means little to you may mean a lot to another, and what really means most might surprise you. Though you or I may not have the power to change the entire world, each of us has the power change one person's entire world and that's the difference! Today, as you think of ways of overcoming the obstacles on your life's path, consider how you could help someone else as well along the way. God bless!