Rosa är färgen på min duschcreme från Lush (som pedagogiska mamman introducerade mig till) som beskrivs som en glittrig sockervaddsrosa och sockersöt duschgelé för busiga, fruktiga och fluffiga små feer. Min mamma vet att hennes dotter trots sina 34 år är barnsligt förtjust i saker som gör livet gladare och lekfullare.Denna färgsprakande dag startar med en grå himmel och slask men där vädret på eftermiddagen består av vackra vita snöflingor som sakta dalar ner över Svedmyraskogen och gör utsikten från mitt fönster magnifik och sagolik.
Svart är färgen på USA's nya president Barack Obama sägs det. Jag önskar att vi kunde vara färgblinda och inte behöva diskutera hudfärg men nu är det inte så helt uppenbart för då skulle presidenterna varit båda män, kvinnor och nya medborgare. Men det är en historisk dag, annat vore att förneka och jag glädjs när han håller sitt tal. Blå var färgen på den paj som vår chef bjöd på för att fira att han avgått med segern. Har aldrig tidigare i mitt liv bjudits på fika på en arbetsplats för att fira en amerikansk president. Det minns jag när jag ser honom stå där inför alla dessa människor.
Nu när kvällen är kommen så dricker jag mitt mörkgula saffrans- och apelsinthé och äter min bruna kladdkaka i mitt nyfärgade hår som blev snarare mörkviolett än rött. Jag fascineras av alla de färger som finns omkring mig i livet, likt en regnbåge som dansar över en himmel. För ibland när livet känns tungt så minns jag ordspråket: It takes both rain and sunshine to create a rainbow.
Men färgladast idag är berättelsen om Jenni som med sitt gula paraply beger sig ut för att rädda världen. Författare till denna berättelse är jag, Svante, Vindens melodi och Marias betraktelser och här följer hela berättelsen:
There once was a little girl who wanted to save the world. She wasn't sure that the world really needed to be saved. All she knew was that she wanted really badly to save it. And all she had was a yellow umbrella.
What good is a yellow umbrella, she thought. If only I'd got a purple one, or a green with pink stars. But all I have is this yellow umbrella. Well, she thought, there must be a way. And so she went out in the street with her yellow umbrella, at noon a hot and sunny day.
She hadn't been walking longer than to the crossroads by the bakery when she met an old man who spoke to her. "What a lovely umbrella", he said. "It's got the colour of the sun. Is it yours?"
As soon as he said that, the little girl realized that her umbrella was a symbol of the sun. She was carrying the sun in her hand, and if she could do that she could save the world as well. But she still didn't know how. She looked up at the old man and answered: “Yes, it is mine but it also belongs to the rest of the world. It depends on how you see it.”
The old man was quiet for a while and then said: “Do you know what? I think you have a lot of wisdom. Take care of that yellow umbrella and remember that everything is made out of magic.” The little girl looked up at the old man and took him by the hand, saying: "My name is Jenni and I would be happy if you could help me to save the world."
The old man smiled at her and said: "Of course my little dear!" He took up something from his pocket, and gave it to Jenni. His eyes were full of love and his hand warm and safe. The little charm was shining in his hand. He put it into her little hand and said: "Everything that you believe in you can get. You can reach every goal you want, and you can give the world your love and wisdom."
The old man and Jenni walked a bit down the street, her yellow umbrella was shining and her charm was shining too. The old man looked up in the sky and said: “You know, we are going to look for all the things that shines, all things that means something for people, all things that are lightning up peoples lives."
Just when the old man had spoken, they heard a sound. An interesting sound of sadness. Someone was crying. Jennie and the old man listened and walked towards the sound. They found a little boy who was sad because the sun burned his little flowers. The boy explained that he had planted these flowers as a gift to his Granny.
"Granny is sick", the boy explained. "My Granny loves flowers, but now when she is sick she can't get out to see all the beautiful flowers. So I planted these flowers in pots, so that I can bring flowers to Granny. But the sun is too hot and the flowers are getting burned”, said the little boy crying.
Jenni looked at the boy and gave him the yellow umbrella. "Here, take this and protect the flowers from the sun. Maybe the flowers can help your granny to get well. I'm trying to save the world and I start with your Granny and her flowers.” The boy laughed and took the umbrella. "I don't have much to give you instead of the yellow umbrella but you can have this…”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to give me anything in return”, Jenni interrupted the boy. “I have this charm, you know, that I got from…” Jenni turned around, looking in all directions around her, but the old man who had given her the magic, shining charm was gone.
The boy looked her curiously straight in the eyes. “Got from whom?”, he asked. And Jenni suddenly felt embarrassed, not knowing where or why the old man had disappeared. She didn’t know how to explain to the boy who the old man was, so she said: “From God, I got this charm from God.” “Really!?”, the boy exclaimed with doubt in his voice. “And what did God look like?” Jenni gave him a big, shining smile, and said: “He looked pretty ordinary. Nothing special, but very, very nice.”
“And he gave you that charm?”, the boy wondered, now with awe in his voice. “Yes, he did. It was right there, by the crossroads at the bakery”, Jenni said, pointing up the street. “And he told me that it would help me save the world.” “Okay”, the boy said, “then take good care of that charm!”
And 70 years later, when Jenni was an old woman, the charm was still shining in her hand. And her grandson, Jessie, came to visit her every single day carrying an abundance of the most beautiful, shining flowers in his arms.
