The Starfish

As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea.  Finally catching up with the youth, he asked him why he was doing this.  The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun.

"But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish," countered the other.  "How can your effort make any difference?"

The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves.

"It makes a difference to this one, " he said. 

-Unknown

The Great Redwoods

The great redwoods of California are one of the beautiful natural wonders of the North America.  These giant evergreens can grow to a towering 300 feet tall and live for hundreds of years.  

For all their magnificence, one would think the redwoods would require a deep root system to keep them upright.  Instead, they have roots that spread out along the surface of the forest floor to capture all the moisture possible, intertwining with the roots of other redwoods in the grove.  The interlocking roots securely support and sustain these giant sequoias when storms strike and fierce winds blow.  

The trees' survival depends on the combined support of one another.  When we stand together...support one another...encourage one another...we become strong together, and like the giant redwoods, we keep growing taller.  Your welcome.

-unknown