A very, very long time ago, the world was a truly wonderful place. The sun always seemed to shine just right, and the flowers bloomed in every color you can imagine. And the wheat! Oh, the wheat was amazing. Each stalk grew tall and strong, and the ears of wheat weren't small like they are today. No, sir! They were packed with yummy grains from the very bottom all the way to the tippy-top. One ear of wheat could make a whole loaf of bread! People were happy and never hungry because there was always plenty to eat.

One sunny afternoon, a young mother was walking through a wheat field with her little child. The child, being a child, tumbled into a muddy puddle. Oh dear! The child was all messy.

The mother looked around for something to clean her child. Her eyes fell upon a beautiful, golden ear of wheat, heavy with grains. It looked so full and perfect. But instead of thinking how precious this gift of food was, she snapped it off. And can you believe it? She used that wonderful ear of wheat to wipe the mud from her child.

Just then, the Heavenly Father, who sometimes liked to walk on Earth to see how things were going, happened to be passing by. He saw what the woman did. His heart felt sad and a little bit angry. "You take my wonderful gift, the food that keeps you alive, and use it like a common rag?" He thought. "You do not appreciate such bounty."

So, He declared, "Because humans do not appreciate my gift, from this day forward, the wheat stalks shall bear no more ears. No more grain for you!"

When the people heard this, they were terrified! They fell to their knees and cried. "Oh, please!" they begged. "Don't take all the grain away! If not for us, then think of the innocent little birds and animals who also need to eat! They haven't done anything wrong!" They pleaded and pleaded.

The Heavenly Father listened. He had a kind heart, especially for the little creatures. He thought for a moment.

"Alright," He said, his voice a little softer. "I will not take it all away. But you must remember to be grateful. From now on, the wheat will only have grains at the very top of the stalk, not all the way down. This way, you will still have food, but you will also remember not to waste it and to be thankful for what you have."

And that, my dears, is why today, when you see a field of wheat, the golden grains are only clustered at the very top of the stalk. It’s a little reminder to always be thankful for our food and never, ever waste it.

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