It Matters to This One

As I walked along the seashore, this young boy greeted me. He was tossing stranded starfish back to the deep blue sea. I said, “Tell me why you bother, why you waste your time this way. There’s a million stranded starfish, does it matter anyway?”

And he said, “It matters to this one. It deserves a chance to grow. It matters to this one, I can’t save them all I know. But it matters to this one, I’ll return it to the sea. It matters to this one, and it matters to me.”

I walked into the classroom, The teacher greeted me. She was helping Johnny study, he was struggling I could see. I said, “Tell me why you bother, why waste your time this way. Johnny’s only one of millions, does it matter anyway?”

And she said, “It matters to this one, he deserves a chance to grow. It matters to this one, I can’t save them all I know. But it matters to this one, I’ll help him be what he can be. It matters to this one, and it matters to me.”