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There is a beautiful legend of the snowdrop. It says that as God created the world in six days, there was a lot to be done. A lot of decisions were to be made and a lot of characteristics to be given to each part of the world, each animal and every plant. At some point there was what seemed like a shortage of colours, or maybe there was shortage of imagination, or maybe it was the hurry in which all the decisions were made?! 

When it was the turn of the rain, snow and wind, all colours had been given away. The snow felt very upset and refused to withdraw itself after winter, so the fields and woods stayed covered by a beautiful pack of transparent snow. The poor animals were very hungry. They could see the tasty weeds under the colourless snow, but couldn’t reach them.

God felt sorry for the animals and plants who had to live under these harsh conditions and told the snow it could ask a plant for a colour. However the plants refused to cooperate.
The yellow catkins of the hazel didn’t want to part with its pale yellow, nor would the sea buckthorn give it the orange of its berries. And the snow refused the colour of the guelder rose, because it found the red too bright.

The snow became very angry. The wind, colourless as well, joined the snow and together they lashed the land with heavy snowstorms.

But then there was one tiny little flower who felt sorry for the snow and while the snow rested from its last snowstorm, the little flower approached it. It offered her bright white colour to the snow. The snow was touched by the offer of the tiny flower and thought the white colour was just splendid.

In return the snowdrop was the only flower allowed to blossom in the snow. The flower felt so happy that from that day on it called herself ‘snowdrop’.

The snowdrop shared its colour with the snow out of compassion. It wasn’t after fame. It didn’t want to stand out on the other flowers. She gave out of pure love expecting nothing in return. She might have been tiny but showed the greatest heart of all. Her generosity was greatly rewarded. And every year it is the only flower to be admired while snow is still in the air, bringing the promise of spring to the world.

Let us be like this little snowdrop, generous, loving and kind to others, always. 




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