A Fabulous Fable:
Two Girls With Stars In Their Eyes

An old woman was walking on the beach one day. She saw that during the night, all the starfish had washed ashore. Hundreds of starfish lay glistening, out of reach of the receding waves.

Then, she noticed two girls on the shoreline. They were gathering up starfish in their hands. Carefully, they threw handful after handful of starfish back into the ocean.

The old woman looked around and realized that a crowd of people had gathered to watch. No one had said anything to the girls. So finally the old woman asked, "What are you doing?"

The girls answered, "'These starfish will die if we don't get them back into the water."

All the grownups chuckled. They thought the girls must be stupid or something. After all, everything died. Who cared about a few starfish? What did it matter anyway?

The crowd began to move away. But the old woman stayed, hoping to teach her younger sisters a lesson. She told the girls, "You're wasting your time. There are hundreds of starfish lying around out here. It's not going to make a difference."

The girls each picked up a starfish. They showed the old woman the shiny, prickly side of each fish, with the beautiful colored ridges. They turned the starfish over. You could see movement as the starfish gaped, as if pleading for water.

Then the girls turned and threw the starfish gently back into the ocean. The waves carried the starfish away, floating it back into the deep, green water. The girls turned to the old woman and said -- "See? I just made a difference. I made a difference to that starfish."

The old woman blushed. She saw that she had been wrong. These girls were wiser than she was. So, she bent down and began to pick up the starfish. She threw them into the sea. They moved slowly in her hands as if trying to thank her. Then the starfish sank below the surface, back to their home in the sea.

Eight hundred twenty-two starfish were saved that day, thanks to two girls who showed an old woman that one big heart has the power to move many, many hands.

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