Sunflower Story

It was the winter of 2007 and the "man of the house" was really climbing the walls. He wanted winter to be over, so he could work in the yard. The wife was as happy as can be....knitting, quilting, blogging, painting, cooking and cleaning. After a few days of tolerating his restlessness ...she suggested that he go down to his workshop and build a new birdfeeder for the yard. Good idea, he thought. So he went down and made several...he was a happy camper. He hung the feeders in the garage to dry. When spring came....the wife wanted to hang the new feeders. She had to really talk him into this, because they were so beautiful...he just wanted to look at them. Finally after some fast talking....he relented and the feeder was hung right where it could be viewed from their breakfast nook. It was then filled with sunflower seeds. Birds of all kinds came to visit the feeder. It was a joy to watch. Birdseed disappeared so fast the couple could hardly keep up with it all. The birds were a messy lot and scattered seeds in every direction. Little sunflowers were coming up all over the area. The wife would take her gardening stool, sit and pull them all up. One little seedling fell behind a container garden. The couple had planted herbs in the container. Parsley, oregano, mint, and sage. They watched the herbs growing happily in the pot. The little seedling was still in her hiding place....growing a bit each day. Finally one day the wife saw the sweet sunflower struggling so hard to grow, and become the majestic flower that she knew she could be. The wife decided that there was room for the sunflower. She let her grow...and grow....and grow.

The sunflower was reaching for the heavens by now. Healthy, green, and strong, but not strong enough to compete with the man and his big red machine. Every week he came roaring up the yard...making close turns...almost hitting the sunflower. One day the wife saw what was happening. She said, "Dear...I will do the trimming now. I know that you have a lot to do, so I will help you out." And she did. All summer she got the little red machine out and mowed...being ever so careful as to not hit the sunflower.

The summer went on and rain was scarce. The little sunflower needed water. The family dog...Laddie came by and offered to water her. She said, "No thanks!" Mother Nature heard her wilting voice and sent down a wonderful shower. She grew, and grew, and grew. She heard the birds in the feeder above talking about a new season coming and how they were preparing to head south. She listened to their stories about who was going and who was staying. She was wondering what she should do? How could she go...she was rooted in the ground and didn't have wings? What to do!

It was fall now and she had opened into a beautiful yellow flower. She was the most beautiful flower in the yard. The birds visited her occasionally and sat on her fat center. They were getting ready to leave and said,"Could we have just a few of your delicious seeds?" She said, "Why, yes...I would be glad to share." Maybe this is what she was here for...to share with others. Then one day the wife came by with gardening shears. The sunflower was frightened. How could she tell the woman that she was here to share her seeds? It was too late, the woman snipped the stalk and put the sunflower in her garden trug. They went into the garage, where there were flowers of all kinds lying on the worktable. The wife was making a flower arrangement. The sunflower said, "Maybe she'll pick me." And she did. The sunflower was given the place of honor...right smack dab in the center of the bouquet. The sunflower was beautiful....but much more beautiful mixed in with all the flowers of the garden...and not standing alone anymore. The arrangement was admired by the man of the house. It was put in the car and secured so it wouldn't tip over. "Where are we going...thought the sunflower?" The car sped over the bridge into town. The wife drove into a quiet neighborhood and parked in front of a brick building. Getting out of the car, she checked the arrangement...it had to be just so. Going up the sidewalk, she was careful not to spill. Then she approached the big double front doors.

The doors were opened and the sunflower saw a beautiful sight. There were windows made of glass in all different colors. She was breathless. They walked down the aisle ...it was so quiet. Candles were burning to the right of this altar. Not a sound was made by the wife...she knelt on her knees in front of the Altar...then went up and placed the arrangement on one of the tall pedestal tables. The sunflower knew what she was here for now. She felt so happy to be in this beautiful place. The wife left and the sunflower was there for all to see. She wasn't alone now...God was there.

Balisha