Playing God
by Traute Klein, biogardener
Would you like to be in charge of making the weather? See what might happen if you were.Let me tell you a story. When I grew up in Germany, every child knew this story, because it was in our readers. That is what the books were called from which we learned to read.
Although I know the story well, I no longer remember the name of the man about whom this folktale was told. So let's call him Hans. That is the name of my little brother. Well, he isn't little now. Anyway, . . .
Folktale
Hans was not happy with the way God made the weather and complained about it continually. So God said to him, "I'll tell you what. I will let you look after the weather from now on."
That was great news to Hans, and he did a wonderful job. Everyone sang his praises. He sent just enough snow to protect the perennials in the winter and the right amount of rain to keep plants healthy in the summer. He let the sun shine, but not so hot that people would get sunburns or feel uncomfortable. No one had ever experienced a year with such perfect weather.
Then came the time for the harvest. The grain stood tall, and farmers were looking for a bountiful return for their labor. They cut the grain, stooked it, and let it dry in the warm autumn weather without rain. They loaded the grain on wagons and took them to their barns to be threshed. That is the way they used to do in the olden days.
When the threshing began, the farmers realized that the heads of grain were empty and that they had harvested nothing but straw. In his desire to outdo God, Hans had neglected to send the wind to pollinate the grain.
Needless to say, the next year, everyone was happy when God agreed to look after the weather again without the aid of Hans.
The Moral of the Story
© Traute Klein, biogardenerSo the next time you don't like your weather and are tempted to tell God how to improve it, remember the story of Hans. You might also think of a word of wisdom which my friend Lilo told me when I reminded her of this story, "There is no good weather or bad weather. Weather just is, and nature knows what is needed."
Email: theirsisthekingdom@yahoo.ca
