The Ripple Effect

Everyday we have a chance to make a difference.  By following our dreams, using our gifts and abilities to fulfill our purpose, and taking a stand for the things we believe in, we are able to effect change even if the odds are stacked against us.  We don't give up because we think we can't make a difference; rather we press on because we must make a difference.  Our world needs more difference makers!

As a new vegan it is interesting to see how my choice to stop consuming animal products has impacted others. I know that there are few, if any, people who have embraced the vegan lifestyle simply because of the information Joy and I have shared, or because we have chosen to live differently than most of the people we know. Yet I am convinced that we are making a difference in small ways.

Early in our journey, just a few months back, we ran into a fellow vegan at Kroger. I was wearing a vegan t-shirt that caught her eye and started a conversation. That conversation led to her telling us about a vigil the next day, which we attended even though she could not. It was the beginning of a friendship that has resulted in mutual encouragement and in expanding our knowledge of the Save Movement, vegan groups in our area, and opportunities to take a stand against cruelty and injustice to animals. The ripple effect from that random encounter has been profound.

I have received gifts from friends who have shopped for cruelty free alternatives because they know of my choice to buy products not tested on animals.  A good friend brought us a vegan meal the night we volunteered to serve at a dinner where she knew non-vegan food would be served, all because of the ripple effect of our choice to go vegan.

My point in saying this is to encourage those who have chosen this lifestyle to press on in the face of opposition and stay true to your beliefs and convictions.

Even if you are not vegan or fighting for animal rights, there is surely some area of life where you want to see change and make a difference.  You may be working for the pro-life movement or to stop sex trafficking. Perhaps you are concerned about racial discrimination, environmental issues, or eradicating world hunger. Whatever your passion is, dare to make a difference. Commit yourself to the pursuit of peace and a better world. No matter how the odds are stacked against you or how little impact you feel you can have, trust in the ripple effect and know that you are making a difference!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" (Philippians 4:8, NIV).  

If ever there was a time to be a peaceful activist, it is now. Stand up for your beliefs and fight for what is right and good. Let your small acts of kindness and compassion start the ripple effect of change for a better world.

Making ripples,

Dee Dee



Copyright 2016 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com