“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” — Jane Goodall

It’s easy to believe that our lives are small. That our choices slip quietly through the cracks of the day, unnoticed and unseen. But Jane Goodall’s words call us back to something truer: whether we intend to or not, we leave a mark. Every day. Every one of us.

That mark might look like the smile we offer a stranger—or the one we withhold. It could be the gentle way we greet our children, or the edge in our tone when we feel overwhelmed and under-slept. It might show up in the way we speak about people who are different than us, the way we show up (or don’t) for those on the margins, the way we care for creation, or the way we care for ourselves.

We’re always in motion, always rippling outward.

Some days, I find that thought heavy—like the weight of responsibility is too much. Other days, it feels like a gift: the holy reminder that my life is not meaningless. That even the unseen moments, the quiet kindnesses, the small repairs I offer in my relationships, matter.

We all shape the world with our presence. With our purchases. With our posts. With our prayers. With our patterns.

And if we’re going to make a difference anyway—why not choose the kind that leans toward healing?

What if we asked ourselves at the start of each day:

• What kind of difference do I want to make today?
• What would it look like to leave people more whole, not less?
• How can I be part of mending what’s been broken—whether in my family, my community, or my own heart?

We don’t need a grand platform or a perfect plan. Just the willingness to be intentional. To be kind when it costs something. To be present when it would be easier to disengage. To be a little braver, a little softer, a little more loving.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about participation.

You matter. You always have.
And today—like every day—you’re already making a difference.
May it be the kind that brings a bit more light into the world.