Sunflowers

Our friends Lori and Michael had several planters of sunflowers started.

"Take a couple home," they said, and we did.

We replanted them in the sandy soil on the hillside behind our house, watered them once or twice, and pretty much forgot about them. One day we noticed they were dried up and wilted, not only fallen over, but possibly dead.

Let it hereby be known that sunflowers are so hardy, they are capable of resurrection: a pail or two of water immediately revived them, and I decided they deserved at least that much tending daily. Their stems thickened, and their height increased dramatically, so fast you could almost sit and watch them grow.

Bugs came, eating holes in their leaves, and continually hovering about. Still they reached upward, and at the top of each stalk a blossom began to form, becoming in no time a bright yellow sun.

Thrive is the message, and do be undaunted, even if some mornings heavy heads are bowed.