Joseph was a little sheep, a very fluffy little sheep, who loved to dream. But Joseph’s dreams weren’t about counting sheep! They were full of color! Every night, Joseph dreamed of painting the green hills with bright red flowers, and the blue sky with sunny yellow stripes. He wanted to make everything beautiful.
The other sheep chuckled. “Silly Joseph,” they’d baa. “Hills are green, and the sky is blue! Don’t be so…different!” Joseph felt a little sad. He wanted to share his colorful ideas, but they didn’t seem to understand. He started to keep his dreams to himself.
One day, Old Man Tiber, the wisest sheep in the whole meadow, noticed Joseph looking glum. “What troubles you, little one?” he asked gently. Joseph, feeling safe with Old Man Tiber, told him all about his colorful dreams and how the other sheep laughed.
Old Man Tiber smiled. “Joseph,” he said, “your dreams are special. It takes courage to see the world in a new way. And sometimes, the world *needs* a little color!” He explained that everyone has different gifts, and Joseph’s gift was his imagination.
Just then, a little lamb, Lily, tripped and scraped her knee. She was crying. Joseph, remembering Old Man Tiber’s words, had an idea! He quickly gathered some colorful wildflowers – red poppies, yellow buttercups, and bluebells – and wove them into a beautiful flower crown for Lily.
Lily’s face lit up! “Wow!” she exclaimed, forgetting all about her scraped knee. The other lambs gathered around, admiring the crown. They had never seen anything so pretty. Soon, Joseph was making flower crowns for everyone!
The other sheep, seeing how happy Joseph had made everyone, finally understood. They realized that being different wasn’t silly at all; it was wonderful! They asked Joseph to tell them more about his dreams, and he happily shared his colorful ideas.
From that day on, the meadow was a little brighter, a little more colorful, and a lot more joyful, all thanks to Joseph and his beautiful dreams. And Joseph learned that believing in yourself and sharing your kindness can make the world a much happier place. Now close your eyes, little one, and dream your own colorful dreams, just like Joseph.