Copyright © All rights reserved. Made by James Martin Sandbrook.

Every Sunday morning I take a light jog around a park near my home.  

There is a lake located in one corner of the park.  

And each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage on the grass beside her.

This past Sunday my curiosity got the better of me, and I stopped jogging and walked over to her to see what it was that she was doing.  

As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was in fact a small trap.  

There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap.  

She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a spongy brush.

“Hello,” I said.  “I see you here every Sunday morning.  

If you don't mind my nosiness, I'd love to know what you're doing with these turtles.”

She smiled.  “I'm cleaning off their shells,” she replied.  

“Anything on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim.  

It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time.”

“Wow!  That’s really nice of you!” I exclaimed.

She went on: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out.  

It’s my own strange way of making a difference. I find this relaxing and it feels nice to make a difference.”

“But don't most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?” I asked.

“Yes, sadly, they do,” she replied.

“Well then, don't you think your time could be better spent?  

I mean, I think your efforts are kind and all, but there are fresh water turtles living in lakes all around the world.  

And most of these turtles don't have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells.  

So, no offence… but how exactly are your localized efforts here truly making a difference?”

The woman looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and with a smile said, “Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he'd tell you I just made all the difference in the world to him, today.”

~

The Moral:  

You can change the world – maybe not all at once, but one person, one animal, and one good deed at a time.

Every little bit helps, every small effort makes some kind of positive helpful; difference.

It is not the size or scope of our actions, but the size of our heart that matters most.

The little things do matter as much as the big.

Wake up every morning and remember always that whatever it is that you

do that is good for others makes a difference, for them and for you.

~

- Author Unknown.