Living in a world like ours can often make you feel small and insignificant.
Often we hear the phrase “What can I do? I’m just one person” and I know that even though I try not to, I often feel this way myself. Sometimes it feels like society is here telling us that we can’t change things and that we only matter if we are rich and know the right people.
I am telling you that is not true.
When the crisis started and Lyz and I sat down to talk about the worst-case scenarios, neither of us actually wanted to believe that our shops would be forced to close down. Only days after our meeting it became more and more apparent that that was the way things were heading. How do you go from running a sanctuary with 3 successful shops and many well-attended events to nothing? It was a daunting and scary thought.
Fast forward to today.
Over the last few months we have seen such love and support. Together YOU have shown us that we are not alone, that we will be ok. We will get through this! Don’t get me wrong, we are not there yet but we are AHEAD of it.
At the end of this post, you will find one of my all-time favorite stories and I hope that you will find it as inspirational as I do. It tells me that as much as I can’t save the world, I can save part of it.
As much as I am just one person, for someone I am everything.
As much as I can’t afford £3,500 to pay for a month's feed, I can afford a few pounds, and together with your £1 or £10 that will get us there.
So, next time you feel small and unimportant just remember this: You matter. You can make a difference. And don’t let anyone tell you differently.
“A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.
She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”
The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!”
The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.”
The same goes for Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.
We can’t save every animal but for the ones we save, it means everything.