Theme: Divine Providence

The unsatisfied little flower

Once upon a time there was a beautiful flower that lived in a garden with many other flowers.

Although beautiful, she was not satisfied with her appearance. Her petals were large, but she did not like her color. Her butterfly friend visited her frequently and always said:

- Stop it, little flower! You are so pretty! What's the deal about being white? It is said that it is the color that represents peace. You should thank God, who made you so beautiful. Only you don't see it.

- You say that because you are colorful. I am pale and boring - said the little flower almost withering.

Sometimes, someone passes by the garden and praise the little flower. But even so, she didn't believe she was beautiful. She had already got used to complaining and feeling unhappy. She thought that God had not been good to her, for having made her that way.

One day, the butterfly had an idea. She called her beetle friend and asked him for help. The beetle was a painter and kindly accepted to paint the flower in any color she wanted. The beetle took several paints for the little flower to choose freely.

It was a joy! The flower did not fit with happiness.

- The red one, the red one! - She said excitedly.

It didn't take long and the flower was all red. She was a little surprised at the radical transformation, but she was happy. Until she looked around and saw red flowers all around her.

“Almost all the flowers here are red... That's why I thought the color was so beautiful. But now that I am just another one, it will be difficult for me to be noticed”- thought the little flower.

The beetle was already packing up when she said:

- Beetle, I was wrong, red doesn't look good on me. Could you paint me yellow?

The beetle knew how much the little flower cared about her color. So he willingly remade the painting, so she became yellow.

But the new color didn't work either. The core of the flower was already yellow and was not highlighted at all.

Again, the little flower asked for another color and the beetle answered. He painted her green. But her stem and leaves were also green, and her petals were gone.

The unsatisfied little flower wanted to change color again, and the beetle colored her brown. When the service was over, she complained again. “I am very dark! It looks like it splashed mud on me. I can't stay this way”

The beetle, already impatient, then turned her pink to make her lighter. But she also didn't like it. She found it a faint color, she didn't want to feel as pale as before.

Finally, the beetle painted her blue. He didn't even ask if she liked it. He said it was the last color he had. He gathered his things and left.

The little flower, however, was not satisfied. Even after so many attempts, she didn’t think she was more beautiful than before and thought: “The blue looks good in the sky. Few flowers are blue, no wonder! God knows what he does."

Regretful, she looked at her petals and remembered when they were white, with a delicate aspect and highlighted among the others in the garden.

Now, there was nothing more to do. She didn't even have the courage to complain, because she herself had chosen this situation.

The little flower spent three days thinking about what had happened and trying to get used to being blue. On the fourth day, the sky dawned dark, and it was not long before it started to rain heavily.

It rained all day. The wind was blowing hard. The plants in the garden swayed and tried to resist the drops that fell hard on them.

Only at the end of the afternoon did the rain stop. The clouds gave way to the rays of the sun that was almost setting. A beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky.

Nature calmed down and the flowers smiled again in the garden.

It was then that the little flower noticed that she was white again. The rainwater had washed away all the painting. The delicate light of the sun illuminated the droplets of water that were on her white petals, and the brightness of them made the little flower feel as beautiful as ever.

- What a relief! I'm glad my white color is back! How beautiful I am! - she said.

The next day, the butterfly visited the garden. She found the little white flower with its usual appearance, but now much happier and more thankful to God for having always chosen what was best for her.

(Adapted from the text A Florzinha Enjoada, published on the blog Do conto ao encanto.)

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com