Most people have heard of Jane Goodall and her study of chimpanzees or Bob Barker who resigned as host of the Miss USA Pageants when they refused to stop awarding furs as prizes or Mary Tyler Moore and her work as an animal rights activist. Those are names we recognize, but have you heard about Kim Bartlett, Steve Hindi or Tammy Sneath Grimes? They are just three of the thousands of lesser known people, maybe more like you and me, who, at some point in their lives, made the decision that they were going to do their best to make a difference in the world. And then they actually did it!
LeAnn has been shaken by the horror of what is happening to dolphins on the other side of the world and has made the decision that she, too, will do her best to make a difference in the world. She intends to take time away from her family, spend hours traveling to a foreign country, live in who-knows-what kind of conditions to help guard a tiny little piece of the world and be a presence to the men who are performing these atrocities in an effort to save the lives of a few dolphins. Sounds like a lot of effort for little reward, doesn’t it? I’m sure that’s the attitude of most people. I think most would like to help, but we don’t know how or we feel any effort would be too puny. When we’re shown injustices, we think about it for a while and wish we could find the time or the money or the fill-in-the-blank to help, but then we go back to our lives and eventually we’ve pushed it to the back of our minds and that’s the end of it.
What might be just a fleeting thought to some has become a mission to LeAnn. And don’t underestimate her determination or her passion. She is and will continue to make a difference in the world. She’s opened the minds and the hearts of everyone she’s come in contact with over the past several months. She’s spent hours learning and then sharing what she’s learned with anyone who will listen. She’s planning fund raisers, writing a blog and keeping current with news from the cove, all while running a household, being an incredible partner to her husband and an amazing mommy to their three-year-old triplets!
I feel honored to know LeAnn just because of the extraordinary human being that she is. I’m even more honored to call her my daughter-in-law and the mother of my grandchildren. I believe LeAnn will make this trip to Taiji, Japan and she will leave her mark on that cove. But even if she never leaves the country and even if most people don’t recognize her name, she has, and continues, to make a difference in the world. In my world, in the world of everyone she shares her passion with, and in the world of her children, my grandchildren, who will grow up knowing that one person can make a difference!
And as for the dolphins in the cove being slaughtered and our seeming ability to do so little, remember the story of the starfish:
The Starfish Story
While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.
He came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"
The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
The old man smiled, and said, "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."
Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."
*****************************************************************************************************
This story has been circulated around the web in many versions, usually with no mention of author. It is said to be paraphrased from "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley, 1907 - 1977.
Won’t you join us in supporting this exceptional woman who is making a difference? Even a dollar helps and it’s a wonderful feeling to know you’ve done your part to make a difference!
And just so you know . . .
Kim Bartlett and Merritt Clifton
Publisher and editor, of "Animal People", the most widely read newspaper dealing exclusively with animal protection issues since 1992. Kim was previously the editor of "Animals' Agenda”, a now-defunct animal protection publication. She began as a volunteer dog rescuer, fundraiser and humane educator. Her husband Merritt Clifton founded “Animal People” with Kim. He writes over 200 articles for the publication a year and is an ex-news reporter, columnist and foreign correspondent who decided to specialize in animal and environmental issues. Clifton is a second-generation vegetarian.
Tammy Sneath Grimes
Founder and executive director of Dogs Deserve Better, a nonprofit focused on ending the cruel chaining and penning of dogs and incorporating them into the family unit. An artist and assistant web manager for “Animal People”. Grimes was arrested in 2006 for rescuing a chained, sickly dog in Pennsylvania named Doogie. Her trial is pending.
Steve Hindi
Former hunter who saw the light and founded Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) in 1993 in reaction to the cruel Hegins pigeon shoot in Pennsylvania, in which thousands of birds were slaughtered by both adults and children for prizes. Through SHARK, he has expanded his interest in animal protection issues to horse tripping, canned hunting, rodeos, bullfighting, and domestic animal cruelty cases. Hindi often travels across the country on his Tiger Truck, equipped with four outside video screens, to bring graphic images of animal abuse to the public and let them know what they can do to stop it.
No comments:
Post a Comment