A Lesson From a Snowflake

Have you ever read the story about the starfish?

There's a couple of different versions that have circulated on the internet, so I'm not sure the exact source (I just know I didn't come up with it), but here's a rundown. There's this little boy walking the shoreline, and every few feet he stops and throws a starfish in the ocean. The shoreline is filled with them. His Dad said, "You know you can't save them all", to which the little boy replies, "Yes, but I made a difference for that one, didn't I?"

I love that because it shows that a little effort, even if just for one person, is a Kingdom work. I'm all about the ripple effect, too. We never know what our one action will do in the life of someone else, who then acts and affects other people. I will always believe that even the smallest person, with the least resources, can make a difference.

Today, though, I'd like to go a different route. Yes, you can make a difference solo...

but working with others, that difference can be exponentially higher.

This morning we awoke to a light dusting of snow... just enough to cover the roads and give Caleb another day off from school. As I sat looking out my window, I thought of how there are some people in this world who love snow.  It's not me, personally, unless it's on Christmas morning, but there are some people who live for snow days.

 I loved snow days, because they meant good books and homemade breakfast... I still enjoy a good snow day if I don't have to get out and try to drive in it. As a young child, I liked to bundle up and go out and play just as much as the next kid.We'd build snowmen and make snow angels and go sledding at my grandparents' house. I especially loved to try to catch snowflakes on my tongue.

I was amazed at snowflakes. As a grade-school teacher, my Grandma was an expert at cutting out snowflakes and we'd often sit down at her kitchen table with some paper and scissors and have at it. It was one arts and crafts project I didn't ruin because here's the thing- there is no perfect snowflake. Each one is different (or so science says).

Kind of like us. Each one of us is different, and even if we try really hard, there are no perfect people.

Here's the other thing about snowflakes. Have you ever noticed just one snowflake? You may see the first one floating down, or the first one hitting the windshield of your car, but chances are outside to a field of white, you don't see the individual snowflakes. One snowflake doesn't get school called off.

It takes all of them, adding up in their uniqueness, to create havoc in our world... or to create beauty, depending on your perspective and if you have to get out and travel in it. Together, those snowflakes add up to a brilliant white, and when the sunlight hits it just so, it's a sight to behold.

Let's work together to create beauty, using our unique talents to compliment and add up to something good.

A