A number of years ago, a friend sent me a card with a small packet of sunflower seeds attached. The thought of sunflowers in my garden made me smile, and I thought I’d plant the seeds beside our brick patio at the front of the house.
“Sunflower seeds?” said Another Friend Who Shall Not Be Named. “You’ll never be able to grow those here. It rains too much for sunflower seeds.”
His laugh made me doubt my vision of sunflowers, and instead of planting my seeds in faith, I set them aside, got distracted by other things, and forgot all about them–until I saw these sunflowers growing on our church yard.
Ha! I said out loud even though I was by myself at the time. It’s not too wet for sunflowers! Visions of sunflowers can come true after all!!
I wanted a picture to mark my revelation, and as I tried to get just the right angle, a neighbour came over to watch. He didn’t speak English, and I don’t speak Punjabi, but between our smiles and gestures, it became clear that he wanted to shade the sunflowers for my picture and just as clear that he didn’t want to be in it, so I took this:
So now I know, sunflowers still make me smile. Sunflower seeds planted in faith and hope can grow strong. Sunflowers can even help make friends. And if I ever get another packet of sunflower seeds, I’ll be sure to plant them.
Writing/Reflection Prompt: What seeds have you received that you’ve never planted? What visions have lain dormant that you’d like to grow?
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April Yamasaki 
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