Motto of the Starfish!

Last night, during mass, Father shared a story about a girl walking along the shore who saw a boy picking up starfish and tossing them back into the ocean.  When she asked what he was doing, he said that he was trying to save the starfish and keep them from dying on the shore by tossing them back into the ocean.  She said, "But how can you possibly make a difference?  There are just too many starfish!"  He bent over, retrieved another starfish, then tossed it back in the ocean and said, "Well, it mattered to that one". 

Father used that story to try to illustrate how no matter how small we think we have to give, we can still make a difference just like the boy with the small number of loaves and fish we heard about in last night's Gospel.  Shouldn't we all try to embrace the idea that no matter how small our offering is, offer it up anyway!  Who knows what good is able to come out of a kind deed or action that we think is only impacting one or two people.  We might not know how far reaching our impact is but should still do it. 

I also enjoyed hearing the starfish analogy and was reminded yet again of our retreat since the starfish was the logo on our tshirts and a small charm on our new necklaces us girls bought as a way to remember our weekend!  I also had posted this picture on the first day of summer saying that I was going to fully enjoy living each day one day at a time this summer.  While I didn't meet all my goals I had set for this summer, I still feel that I made progress on projects for school and work while still being able to get in some quality time with family and friends.  Sure, there is always room for improvement, but overall, if we put forth the effort each day to make a difference in some way, no matter how small it may seem, we can help to make the world a better place!

TAKE THIS OFFERING Performed by Kim Kalman in the video here (start at 6 minutes for just the song)

I HEAR YOU CALLING FROM ANOTHER WORLD
DRAWING ME NEARER TO YOUR BLEEDING SIDE
WORDS YOU HAVE SPOKEN ARE COMPELLING ME
LEADING ME ON TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU DIED

DOWN ON MY KNEES I AM PRAYING
DEEP IN MY HEART I AM SAYING

(chorus)
TAKE THIS OFFERING MAY IT BE PLEASING TO YOU MY FATHER
TAKE THIS LIFE I LEAD A LIVING SACRIFICE
TAKE THIS OFFERING

LONGING TO FINALLY SEE YOU FACE TO FACE
GIVES ME THE STRENGTH TO CARRY ON
THOUGH I AM FRAIL AND BROKEN I AM WHOLE
NO LONGER UNCERTAIN OF WHERE I BELONG

JESUS YOU GAVE YOUR ALL
AND NOW I MUST ANSWER THIS CALLING

(bridge)
ALL THAT I AM ALL I WILL BE
ALL THAT I HEAR AND I TOUCH AND I SEE
ALL THAT I LOVE ALL THAT I DREAM
ALL THAT I HAVE THIS IS MY OFFERING...