The grumbling Moon

MOON WOKE UP, RUBBED HIS EYES, AND STARTED GRUMBLING AGAIN. "WHY DO I HAVE TO DO ALL THE WORK AND GET NONE OF THE GLORY? NO ONE THINKS OF ME AS THE GIVER OF LIGHT. THEY SAY I'M JUST A REFLECTION OF THE SUN. WHO DOES THE SUN THINK HE IS ANYWAY? NO ONE CAN SEE HIM AT NIGHT! I'M THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE PRAISED FOR CHASING THE DARKNESS!"

THE EARTH SIGHED AND ONCE AGAIN TRIED TO GIVE THE MOON SOME GOOD ADVISE.

"MR MOON. GOD MADE YOU TO BE A REFLECTOR OF THE SUN'S LIGHT. THAT IS YOUR JOB. PEOPLE SEE THE LIGHT YOU GIVE THAT BRIGHTENS THEIR NIGHT AND THEY HONOR YOU FOR DOING YOUR JOB SO WELL WHILE PRAISING THE SUN FOR BEING THE SOURCE OF YOUR BRIGHTNESS. YOU SHOULDN'T GRUMBLE. BE HAPPY! REJOICE THAT THE SUN ALLOWS YOU TO SHOW HIS BRIGHTNESS WHEN HE CAN'T. IT'S REALLY SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL TO BE THE SUN'S REFLECTOR."

THE MOON WASN'T SATISFIED. "IT'S UNFAIR! I WANT TO BE MY OWN LIGHT. IF I WERE MY OWN LIGHT EVERYONE WOULD PRAISE ME NOT THE SUN!"

THEN POUTING AND MUTTERING HE DEVISED A PLAN. HE'D SHOW THE EARTH HOW POWERFUL HE WAS. THEY'D HAVE TO HONOR HIM THEN! SO THE MOON WAITED UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF THE NEXT DAY AND HE SLIPPED BETWEEN THE SUN AND THE EARTH AND BLOCKED THE SUNS RAYS FROM REACHING THE EARTH. "THAT WILL SHOW THEM." AND HE WAITED FOR THE PEOPLE TO PRAISE HIM FOR HIS POWER, BUT THE ONLY THING HE HEARD WERE THE SHOUTS OF ANGRY PEOPLE, ANGRY AT HIM FOR CUTTING OFF THEIR SUN LIGHT. THEY DIDN'T SEE OR CARE ABOUT HIS POWER!

THE NEXT DAY THE MOON WAS STILL SULKING WHEN THE SUN SPOKE.

"MR. MOON."

"YES"

"YOU ARE THE BEST MOON I HAVE BUT YOU ARE STILL ONLY A MOON. WE DO THE BEST WORK IN GOD'S UNIVERSE WHEN WE DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO. WHAT IF I WANTED TO BE THE EARTH? I CAN'T BE BECAUSE I'M TOO HOT. NO ONE COULD LIVE ON ME. WHAT IF THE EARTH WANTED TO BE ME? IT DOESN'T GENERATE ANY HEAT SO EVERYTHING WOULD DIE OF THE COLD. WE CAN NOT BE WHAT WE ARE NOT MEANT TO BE. SO BE HAPPY FOR WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE."

THE MOON POUTED SOME MORE AND HID IN THE CORNER ALL DAY. THEN WITH A BURST OF INSPIRATION HE JUMPED UP AND SAID; "I KNOW WHAT I'LL DO! I'LL SHOW EVERYBODY! I'M GOING TO MAKE THE EARTH BLOCK THE SUN'S RAYS AND THEN I WILL PUFF OUT MY CHEST AND I'LL BEAM UNDER MY OWN POWER AND LIGHT THE WORLD. THEN EVERYONE WILL SEE HOW BRIGHT I AM ALL BY MYSELF. THEY'LL SEE THAT I DON'T NEED THAT OLD SUN. I'LL SHINE ON MY OWN. I'LL USE ME INSTEAD OF THE SUN."

THE MOON WAITED UNTIL MIDNIGHT THEN HID ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE EARTH WHERE NO SUNSHINE COULD REACH HIM THEN HE PUFFED OUT HIS CHEST, HE SMILED REAL BIG, HE THOUGHT ALL THE BRIGHTEST THOUGHTS HE COULD AND HE LISTENED TO HEAR THE PEOPLE PRAISE HIM FOR HIS BRIGHTNESS, BUT ALL HE HEARD WAS GRUMBLING AND PEOPLE BLAMING HIM FOR NOT SHINING. THEY HATED THE DARKNESS THE MOON CAUSED BY NOT BEING WHAT HE WAS MADE TO BE.

THE NEXT DAY THE SUN ASKED THE MOON;

"MR. MOON?"

"YES"

"HOW DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT TRYING TO BE ME?'

"NOT VERY GOOD, I'M AFRAID."

"ARE YOU READY TO BE YOU AND BE WHAT GOD INTENDED YOU TO BE?"

THE MOON SIGHED AND SAID, "YES, MR. SUN."

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT I GUESS EVERYBODY KNOWS, BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU ANYWAY. THE MOON CHANGED HIS ATTITUDE AND DECIDED HE WOULD BE THE BEST REFLECTOR OF THE SUN'S RAYS THAT HE COULD BE. THE VERY NEXT NIGHT HE PUFFED UP HIS CHEST, SMILED AS BIG AS HE COULD AND HE REFLECTED THE SUN'S RAYS THE VERY BEST HE COULD. THEN HE LISTENED TO HEAR WHAT THE PEOPLE SAID.

ALL OVER THE EARTH HE HEARD OH'S AND AH'S WHEN THEY SAW HIM AND THEY PRAISED THE HARVEST MOON, THE BRIGHTEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL MOONS. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT SOME PEOPLE EVEN NAME DAUGHTERS BORN THAT TIME OF YEAR AFTER THE BEAUTY THEY SEE.

SO IT IS WITH US. IT'S NOT WHEN WE TRY TO BE LIGHTS OURSELVES THAT GOD CAN USE US BUT RATHER WHEN WE ALLOW GOD'S LOVE TO BE REFLECTED BY US TO LOVE OTHERS THAT WE SHINE THE BRIGHTEST, HONOR OUR LORD THE MOST AND ARE THE BIGGEST BLESSING TO OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TRUE OR NOT BUT SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT WHEN THE MOON SMILED THAT SPECIAL NIGHT, A FACE WAS FORMED ON HIS SURFACE AND SOME HARVEST NIGHTS WHEN YOU LOOK REAL HARD YOU CAN SEE THE FACE OF A SMILING GIRL. WE DON'T KNOW HER NAME BUT I CALL HER THE SAME AS THE PARENTS CALL THEIR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS BORN THAT TIME OF THE YEAR.

I CALL HER AUTUMN.

THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN FOR OUR GRAND DAUGHTER, AUTUMN, BY "PAPA JOHN" FOR HER BIRTHDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1996