Kids & Parenting

The Colour Yellow Part 1

by Janice S Ramkissoon 
02/02/18
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I wasn’t born liking one colour over another but as I grew in statue and developed my own tastes, I became attracted to the colour yellow because I associated it with love.

I see yellow and I’m automatically taken back to my childhood—back to my Grandparents home and the marigolds in the front yard. It was my duty to water the flowers, uproot the weeds and keep the garden looking healthy. I remember daydreaming a lot about what that flowerbed would look like when I’m older. Sadly, that’s still a dream and one that may never come true for me, since I live four thousand miles away from home. 

There were also some yellow flowers that formed part of the border of the walk-way (from the gateway to the yard). Those yellow flowers started as very tiny flower seeds given to me by my paternal grandfather. My maternal grandmother planted them for me. Although I never met my father, those flowers represented the hope I had of meeting him one day and the love I craved (which God provided through various other sources).

No one told me I had to have a favourite colour but my son often asked:

“Mum, what’s your favourite colour?”

I don’t always have an answer, depending on what he needed the answer for. If it was clothing, I didn’t really have a favourite, since I simply dress for the weather in practical clothing whatever the colour. My Jamaican friends would remember me always in bright colours and it would often include the colour white. I love white cotton or lining and managed to get away with it on few occasions here in the UK during the summer. Nevertheless, my British friends would most certainly say that that I like black because that seems to be the colour I’m seen in the most. Sometimes they never get to see what’s underneath the coat.

For a bouquet, I prefer a variety of colours. Put a rainbow of colours in the vase and I’m happy (except for summer time when I will admire it from a distance due to my allergies). I like colours but if I see some yellow in it that completes the feeling inside, of warmth and love. However, if we are playing a game like ‘Chinese Checkers’ that needs counters, I almost always answer, “Yellow, please,” if ever I’m asked, unless someone else got there before me.

I am now sitting on the sofa, in the living room, typing. Beside the laptop is a yellow ‘banner’ highlighter, next to my glass of water. In my note book are various yellow sheets of ‘Post it’ sticky notes. My bible is opened beside me and on both sides of the case are yellow instruments that help me in making notes. On the one side is a yellow pen my husband gave me two weeks ago. I had a choice of two colours and I chose yellow over the other colour (the shell of the pen that is, not the ink). On the opposite side is a fluorescent yellow highlighter. I find it helpful to highlight passages in the Bible that speaks to me during a sermon or while I’m reading a specific passage during my quiet time.

I’ve never had to analyse my colour scheme before which is why there were no yellow in the theme of our wedding. But even without such analysis I was drawn to the yellow shawl to wrap our new born baby in. So although I didn’t meet my father, I believe that he gave me something precious. A smile! For each time I see yellow or a bright light, I see happy and I smile. I have no logical explanation of that but that’s just how it is. My father’s father chose to accept me, even though my father was afraid to claim me as his own. And through the love his father had for his granddaughter, I can look back and be grateful for small mercies. Especially for the seeds that were planted and grew into beautiful flowers from which I am being taught many lessons today.

My son gave me a single daffodil which the ladies of the church provided for the children to present to their mothers, as part of one of the first Easter services we experienced at Limbury Baptist church. It re-ignited the joy in me [see Easter is my favourite…]. That reconnected me with my love for colours.

A few years later I had to think of a colour scheme for the area where the book signing would take place [at the launch of Embracing Forgiveness]. To complete the design, I bought some artificial [Yes, you guessed it!] yellow flowers. They are a replica of the flowers that grew from the seeds that my paternal grandfather gave me.

I didn’t realise it then, but there was something in my core memory that caused me to choose the way I have always chosen and in particular the way I did for the book launch. It was love! The love that surrounded me as well as the love I craved. They were one and the same.

Love is all around us but sometimes we can be so busy looking for it elsewhere that we miss it. We seek it outside of ourselves…outside of our world…outside of our community…when all we need to do is slow down, stop and reflect. Sometimes the answers we seek are right before us begging us to stop and look long enough to see. So I guess this article is a reminder for us to pay close attention to the people around us and the things around us that point us to the light.

The signs are always there but we must take time out of our busy days to stop and reflect…to stop and breathe in the fresh air…to stop and pay close attention to our surroundings. Love is always knocking at our doors but we must be brave enough to answer the call.

Please join me as I continue to share with you in part 2.