I was reminded of a quote I found years and years ago recently, and I have to talk about it again.
This goes back to my middle school days, so I’m not joking when I’m saying it goes way back. We’re talking a bunch of decades.
I was tasked with writing a report on the women’s suffrage movement.
And that was back before the days of using parentheses to make a footnote. Oh, no. We had to figure out how to get the little number after the sentence and make sure we had enough room on the page for the whole footnote.
Ask me some day about what it was like with cassette tapes. Us old timers have the stories for the younger generations!
At any rate, I remember using a quote that, believe it or not, I was talking about just the other day.
It was this: “People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless.”
It’s credited to Dorothy Day.
The point is we’re never quite sure how far the ripples we make will go. We can’t always tell what our actions will cause.
It was a powerful statement for a middle schooler who thought in pictures. The idea is still quite vivid in my head.
I realized that even today, I’m making ripples. We’re all making ripples.
Especially those of us at CVAS.
When an animal comes to us, that’s the stone being tossed in the pond. We get the animal healthy, spay or neuter him or her and find the pup or cat a loving home.
The ripple effect with the job we do can be amazing. That one animal can affect the lives of literally hundreds of people. He certainly affects the lives of those of us at the shelter. He will definitely have an impact on the family who adopts him.
What about the neighbors? The extended family? The people he meets at a dog park? Or even those who might see him on a Christmas card?
Even co-workers and fellow school children who hear stories about the family’s adopted pet could feel the effects of those ripples.
I think you see my point about how one little stone can have an amazing resonance. The ripples can go so much farther than we could ever imagine.
We can all make those ripples – it’s not just shelter workers. Every day we can make them. And they’re so important. Ask yourself every day what kind of ripples you’re making. Are you helping someone? Making their day with a smile or sincere compliment? Or are you upsetting people? Using your ripples to put bad thoughts or feelings out into the universe?
You have no idea how powerful a simple gesture of kindness can be.
Everything we say and do can be a stone in someone else’s pond.
Every animal we save and adopt at CVAS is a stone in someone else’s pond.
Every thank you we say, every volunteer who walks our dogs, every person who gives time or money or supplies, every word of praise for a shelter pet, every kind touch to a scared, homeless animal can set off a chain reaction, can make ripples in the lives of others. Those ripples can have an effect on men, women, children and even the animals.
What kind of ripples will you make today?
Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates thrift stores in Chambersburg and Shippensburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the stores.
