The Pebble

The Pebble

In the deep hallows of the majestic mountains stood a small girl not very old or strong. She stood at the edge of the lakeshore watching the still clear lake. Every once in a while the powerful winds would blow causing ripples throughout the water. She thought to herself “I wish I was powerful as the wind and I could make waves roll in the lake, but I am too small.”  She saw a motorboat plow through the lake that made big and fast moving waves that spread throughout the lake. She said “I wish I was as big and powerful as the motorboat so I could cause big waves in the water as well.” She looked at her tiny hands and said “I am too little to make a difference.” She sat down on the shore putting her little feet in the water and watched the lake some more. Across the lake she saw three boys playing.  Each boy would take rocks from the shore and would give it a good throw and the rocks skipped across the water.  After a little bit she saw small ripples glide across the lake until they reached her little toes that rested in the water as she sat. Wow, she thought to herself. “I wish I was as strong as those boys and could skip rocks across the water and make ripples that would reach the other side. As she sat there watching the small ripples pass over her little toes she got an idea.  She thought “maybe I can try to make waves too.” She got up and ran around the shore trying to find the biggest rock she could because she wanted to make some really big waves that would dance across the lake.  She stopped at one of the biggest rocks she could find.  The rock was as big as she was.  She was so excited she tried to push it, pull it, and lift it with all her might but she was too small.  “I knew that one was too big so I will have to find something a little smaller maybe half my size,” she said.  She didn’t go too far until she found a rock that was half her size. Again she tried to push it, pull it, and lift it with all her might but she was too small. With a big sigh she said “Still a little too big.”  She saw so many big rocks that aligned the river bed. All were too big so she decided to look at rocks that were further up on the shore. “Perfect”, she said I think I found it!” This rock came up just past her ankles.  She bent down, wrapped her tiny fingers around the rock as much as they could and gave a good push up with her knees and was barely able to lift the rock.  With her tiny little legs she took tiny little steps but couldn’t go very far.  She went as far as she could until she couldn’t go any further and dropped the rock.  As she dropped the rock she said “I knew I was too small.” She was mad and out of her anger she grabbed a little pebble and threw it with all her might into the lake. As the pebble landed in the lake it made a big slash and then ripple started to spread across the lake that seemed to go forever.  With amazement she watched the lake as the ripples danced across the water.  She had no idea that she had the power in her to cause such an effect.  Here she is just a little girl not very big and not very strong, but she made a difference that spread across the vast big lake.  With even more excitement she took one pebble after another and threw it in the lake and watched the ripples dance and dance and dance.  She was so happy and proud.  She remembered the wind, the boat and the boys in which all seemed more powerful than her, but even though she was little she still made a difference and was able to make waves in lake just like them, but her little pebble seemed to make more ripples than all of the more powerful means did.  We are all like that little girl and each of us have the power in us to make a difference one pebble at a time.