Little Changes Count - The Starfish Story


Once upon a time, there was an old man who had a habit of walking along the beautiful beach before starting his work. He used to go to the seaside every morning to do his writing. One beautiful Sunday as per his morning routine, he went to the sea shore and started walking along the shore. As he moved ahead, he came along a stretch on which thousands of starfish had washed up. He found the beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.

From a distance far from his sight, the old man noticed a little girl approaching. As the girl walked, she paused every so often. When she came closer, the old man could see that she was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.

When the little girl came a bit closer to the old man, he said, “Good morning little princess!!! May I ask what it is that you are doing now?” The pretty little girl paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the sea.” The little girl continued her job of picking and throwing back the starfishes into the sea.

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the sea?”, asked the old man.

To this, the little girl replied, “The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return back to the sea by themselves. When the sun gets high…

Upon hearing this, the old man commented, ‘But, little girl, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? There must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference!”

The girl bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she turned towards old man, gave a sweet smile and said, “I made a difference to that one!”

The Moral:
The story's main takeaway is that even seemingly small acts of kindness can have a profound impact on the recipient. It highlights the idea that we shouldn't be deterred from doing good simply because we can't solve all the world's problems at once.

 


How to help a 'walking' starfish on the beach 
If you ever see a starfish walking beyond the water’s edge, help it survive by putting it back into the ocean. Zeb Hallock filmed this 2012 clip of a Luidia clathrata seastar in Corolla, North Carolina before relocating the animal for its safety:


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Once upon a time, there was an old man who had a habit of walking along the beautiful beach before starting his work. He used to go to t...

Puppy Size - An inspirational Story


This is one of the neatest stories you will ever hear. You will know precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (you'll want to share this one with your loved ones and special friends)!

'Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this,' the mother told the volunteer.

'What is it she keeps asking for?' the volunteer asked.

'Puppy size!' replied the mother.

'Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for.'

'I know...we have seen most of them,' the mom said in frustration...

Just then Danielle came walking into the office

'Well, did you find one?' asked her mom.

'No, not this time,' Danielle said with sadness in her voice. 'Can we come back on the weekend?'

The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed.

'You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply,' the volunteer said.

Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. 'Don't worry, I'll find one this weekend,' she said.

Over the next few days both mom and dad had long conversations with her.

They both felt she was being too particular. 'It's this weekend or we' re not looking any more,' Dad finally said in frustration.

'We don't want to hear anything more about puppy size either,' Mom added.

Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.

Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages.
There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look.
One by one, the dogs were brought out and she held each one.

One by one she said, 'Sorry, you're not the one.'

It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup.


The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer.

'Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!' she screamed with joy. 'It's puppy size!'

'But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks,' Mom said.

'No not size... the puppy sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed,' she said.

'Don't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!'

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both.

'Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms,' she said. Then holding the puppy up close to her face she said, 'Mom, he loves me. I heard the sighs of his heart!'


  Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day.

They are the sighs of God! Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear. 'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.'

May each of you feel and hear the sighs of God...

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This is one of the neatest stories you will ever hear. You will know precisely what this little girl is talking about at the end (you...

A Small Witness: An Inspirational Story



Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at their little church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside as well as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said - - - "OK Dad, I'm ready."

His Pastor Dad asked - - - "Ready for what?" "Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out. "Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain. " The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking "But Dad, aren't people still going to hell, even though it's raining?"

Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this weather." Despondently, the boy asks "Dad, can I go? Please?" His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son." "Thanks Dad! " And with that, he was off and out into the rain.

This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract. After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT.

He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets
were totally deserted. Then he turned toward the first home he saw - and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch.

He rang again, and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked " What can I do for you son?" With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU, and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE."

With that, he handed her his last tract, and turned to leave. She called to him as he departed. "Thank you, son! And God Bless You!" Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked, " Does anybody have a testimony or want to say anything?"

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face as she said, "No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before.

You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live. So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home.

I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, "I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.

"I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, "Who on earth could this be?! Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me."

I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder. When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life.

His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! And the words that came from his mouth caused my heart, that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, "Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU."

Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.

You see, "I am now a Happy Child of the KING and since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU TO God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and, by so doing, spared my soul from eternity in hell."

There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son . . .

Except for One. This Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted praises and honor to The King, The Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named.

~Author Unknown To Me~
 
Find more insprirational stories from Bessie here
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Real Life Angels


 

Every day in the world around us,
Real-life angels are doing the things they do,
And bringing more smiles to the world around them.
Real-life angels build bridges instead of walls...

They don't play hide-and-seek with the truth,
And they don't have hidden agendas.
They tend to be the only ones who understand,
What you're going through.

If they sense that you're hurting,
They do whatever they can to help you.
Real-life angels understand difficulties...
And always give the benefit of the doubt.
They don't hold others up to the standards.

They can't live by themselves.
Real-life angels are what "inner beauty" is all about.
Real-life angels don't hold things against you...
The only thing they hold is you.

They take your hand in theirs when you could use
A little reassurance.
They walk beside you when you could do with
A little guidance and direction in your life,

And they support you in
Your attempts to do what is right.
Real-life angels mulitply your smiles,
And add to your integrity.

They make you feel like,
"Hey, I really am somebody who matters."
Then they quietly prove to you how beautiful
And true that feeling really is.

If you come across an angel like this,
You are one of the luckiest people of all.

~Author Unknown~



 
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  Every day in the world around us, Real-life angels are doing the things they do, And bringing more smiles to the world ar...

The Kitchen Prayer

"The Kitchen Prayer" by Klara Munkres


Lord of all pots and pans and things since I’ve not time to be
A saint by doing lovely things or watching late with Thee
Or dreaming in the dawn light or storming Heaven’s gates
Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates.


Although I must have Martha’s hands, I have a Mary mind
And when I black the boots and shoes, Thy sandals Lord I find.
I think of how they trod the earth, what time I scrub the floor
Accept this meditation Lord, I haven’t time for more.


Warm all the kitchen with Thy love, And light it with Thy peace
Forgive me all my worrying and make my grumbling cease.
Thou who didst love to give men food, in room or by the sea
Accept this service that I do, I do it unto Thee.

Amen  


Little Golden Book | Baby's House | Illustrator Mary Blair
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"The Kitchen Prayer" by Klara Munkres L ord of all pots and pans and things since I’ve not time to be A ...

The Caregiver’s Prayer

A caregivers prayer helps caregivers receive God’s help in looking after their own physical, emotional and spiritual needs so they can handle the demands of caring for a loved one.

Heavenly Father, I love _______.
I have committed my life to caring for ______.
Yet I know the task is greater than my abilities.

As I seek to help another,
I ask for strength to shoulder the burdens before me.
Yet I also ask for the wisdom to know what is mine to carry.
I ask for the courage to admit my failures and make amends.
I thank you for your grace and mercy,
and ask that you help me daily apply it to myself and extend it to others.

As I walk through this long valley of the shadow of death,
I ask for a deeper awareness of your presence to calm my fears.
As I glance backwards, may I only see your provision.
As I look forward, may my eyes see your guidance.
May I reflect you as I minister to this one whom I love.
I pray all this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ,
Who laid down his own life …for me.
© 2014 Peter W. Rosenberger, HOPE FOR THE CAREGIVER


The Catholic Gift Store offers this Laminated prayercard. The front and back of the prayercard are shown. Measures 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".



Credit: Loving Life At Home

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A Coaches Prayer


BUILD ME AN ATHLETE, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat and humble and gentle in victory.

BUILD ME AN ATHLETE whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be, an athlete who will know You and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storms; here let him learn compassion for those who fall.

BUILD ME AN ATHLETE whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; an athlete who will master himself before he seeks to master others; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, never to take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. Then, I, his coach, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain."
Adapted from A Father's Prayer
by Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Reader's Digest, May 1952, p. 81


-------------------


The Coach's Prayer

by Dan Britton / via ClintHurdle.com / Printable PDF
 

Lord, when I pick up the whistle, lace up my shoes and walk out of the locker room, I coach for You alone. There is no turning back. In every victory and every defeat, I celebrate Your goodness and greatness. The way I coach demonstrates my love for You. I stand for the cross and declare my loyalty to You. I coach for You.

My energy and enthusiasm come from the Holy Spirit. My purpose and passion come from above. Through the strain and struggle, I never give up or give in. The champion inside of me is Jesus who gives me strength. Winning is honoring You in all I do. I coach for You.


When I coach, I feel Your pleasure. My heart longs for Your applause alone. All of my abilities are from You. I am under Your authority as my Ultimate Coach. I will respect and honor all competitors, coaches, and officials. I compete by all of the rules. I coach for You.

My coaching is my offering to my Savior. I am Your warrior in the heat of battle. I am humble in victory and gracious in defeat. I coach to serve You, my athletes, and our opponents. My words bring healing and refreshment that inspire and motivate. I speak words of life. I coach for You.

Success isn't a winning program, but seeing the power of Christ transform the lives of my athletes. Victory is not the scoreboard, but for my athletes to become more like You. Bless my athletes in great ways and increase their faith and confidence. I coach for You.

In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Remember, lift up your athletes through prayer daily.
God will use your prayers to transform lives.
Pray well. Coach well.


Newsflash:


Coach Joseph Kennedy is shown kneeling in prayer at Bremerton High School in Washington state. He was fired for doing so. Now, his case will go before the U.S. Supreme Court. (photo: First Liberty Institute; republished with permission)
-National Catholic Register
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BUILD ME AN ATHLETE, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who w...