As he strolled along, he noticed a small figure dancing in the distance. It make him chuckle to think of someone celebrating life in such an uninhibited way. As he drew closer, however, it became apparent that the figure was not dancing. Instead, she seemed to be repeatedly performing some ritual.

He drew nearer still and noticed that the small figure was a child. She was methodically picking up starfish and tossing them into the surf. He paused for a moment, puzzled, then asked, "Why are you throwing these starfish?"

"It's high tide", she replied, "if I leave them on the beach, the sun will soon dry them and they will die. I am throwing them into the ocean so they can live." The man considered her actions, impressed with the child's thoughtfulness. Then he motioned up and down the miles of the beach. "There must be thousands of starfish along here," he said, "You cannot possibly make a difference."

The young girl stopped and her face darkened. She chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip and softly said, "You’re probably right." With downcast eyes she seemed lost in thought—but then she leaned over, carefully picking up another starfish, pulled back and arched it gently into the sea. With a tone of gentle defiance, she said, "But I made a difference for that one."
                                                            From Star Thrower, by Loren Eisley

Author and poet Maya Angelou says it best: "The honor and duty of a human being is to love." If this does not make you pause and think, you’re reading too fast. Stop and dwell on this for a moment; contemplate the definitions of honor and duty. I encourage you to approach your volunteer efforts in a similar way. Volunteering is a reflection of love; it represents a place deep in our hearts where we feel a basic human duty to help. When you think about the relative wealth of the region we live in, compared to our neighbors, compared to the nation—compared to third world countries—volunteering is most certainly an honor of which we are so privileged to have, an ability to give back to our community.