There has been some discussion in the LETCEE office as to what are the kinds of things that happen during the day or week that make one stop and smile and give a sense of, "This is why I do what I do!" Working in the education sector and in communities one often gets wrapped up in all the challenges and the 'next step', that one can become very disheartened amongst all the difficulties.
So this discussion has made me stop and ask, what has happened in the last couple of weeks that has made me smile? This reminds me of the well known story of the starfish by Loren Eisley where there is a boy on the beach who is throwing starfish back into the sea to save them. A man asks him why he is doing it because he will never be able to save them all. The boy replies, "No, but I can make a difference for this one....and this one." He says this as he continues to throw the starfish one by one back in to the sea.
Many days I feel like the man who thinks that the boys' actions are futile BUT when you can help one family access healthcare, education, documents and provide support and see how the family is transformed, then I feel like the boy who says, "No I can't save them all, but I can make a difference to this one."
So one of the things that makes me smile is to stop and think about the individual lives that I have had the privilege of being a part of and where we have been able to facilitate some kind of positive change. I am reminded once again that it is not only about the large scale impact or number of people we are reaching BUT about the sustainable changes that affect the quality of life of individuals and families.
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