The Little Raindrop

A favorite story about giving, I'm not sure who wrote it.

Once upon a time there lived a family of raindrops.  They were a happy bunch, bouncing about in a fluffy, gray cloud that floated over the big world below.  Squirt was one of the youngest.  He liked to play games with his fellow raindrops.  But one day, Squirt didn't feel like playing.  Instead he sat on the edge of the cloud, head drooping, feeling downright glum.

"How come you're not playing with your friends?" an old raindrop asked, coming up behind him.

Squirt sighed.  "I want to make a difference in the world.  But I am just one little raindrop, and I'll never amount to anything."

The old raindrop thought for a moment, then pointed toward a large brown field below and said, "The farmer who is growing that wheat thinks you're important."

"He does? Why?"

"Well, he knows his wheat won't grow without you."

Squirt looked at the old raindrop.  "Without a little drop like me?"

"You know, squirt, I've been around this earth a few times and I've learned that while each of us is only one drop of water, something special happens when we all get together in a rainstorm."

"What?" Squirt asked.

"Well, we make rivers flow.  We keep trees green.  Occasionally we even put out forest fires.  And we give the wheat water to drink so it grows tall and strong.  Someday that wheat will feed thousands of people."

Squirt perked up.  "Maybe a little raindrop like me can make a difference!"

"You will, too," the old raindrop said.

Suddenly Squirt sank back down, a worried look on his face.  "But when it rains, will that be the end of me?"

The old raindrop laughed.  "Oh, no.  That's just the beginning!  You'll go back up into new clouds and have many more opportunities to shower gifts over the earth.  This is my 418th cloud and I can tell you that giving never gets old."

"Cool," said Squirt, noticing the other raindrops gathering on the edge of the blackening cloud.  "Hey, it's really getting dark around here!"

The old raindrop winked.  "Time to take my 419th plunge."

"And my first!" Squirt exclaimed.

"Grab my hand," the old raindrop said.  "Jump when you see the lightening."

Squirt took the old raindrop's outstretched hand, and, with a flash of light, the little raindrop made a difference for the very first time.

And he gave happily ever after.