Sunflowers

When asked what my favorite flowers are, I almost always respond, "Sunflowers". In French, those beautiful flowers are called "tournesol", or "turn with the sun".

I could stare at them for hours. Their scent is so uplifting, and yet truly subtle. Their colours are so vibrant, from the traditional bright yellow, to oranges or flame reds. They can be perfectly round, or fuzzy around the edges. Their variety is remarkable (see, I'm remarking on it here), and yet they are all from the same sunflowery family. I have a few in my garden that only grow a foot high, and have seen others that would tower over my house. Truly remarkable.

A fun aside - Years ago, when I was still making chain-mail jewelry and fashion designs for a living, an odd thing happened. I had met a woman at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, where I was selling my work. We hit it off really well, and sent each other numerous letters over the next year. We even visited each other a few times, although we lived in cities over 8 hours apart. I had met her family, and we really liked each other.  We were planning on driving down to Chicago after the next Folk Festival so that she could meet my family. I had thought that my search for a partner in life was at an end.  But then, at that same festival the next year, while I was sitting in my booth working away, she walked in and said, "Hi Mead. I never want to see you again." And she walked out. No explanation. No nothing. I was devastated, and heartbroken. And yet I couldn't leave my shop, nor could I break down in tears. So, what did I do? I told my helpers to not talk with me for a while and I ripped into my metal links, screaming through my art. The result? A chain-mail rendition of Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

For me it still stands as an example of crisis and victory in my life.

You see, I truly love sunflowers.

One of the things that I love most about them is the way they always face the sun, hence the name in French. Watching a field of them can be very inspirational. During the night, their heads droops toward the ground. You can almost feel their sadness at their remoteness from their beloved sun. As soon as the sun begins to rise, one and all they lift up their heads, eager to greet the sun as it begins its daily course.

As the sun reaches its noon-time zenith, the sunflowers are practically staring straight up into the sky. Never for a moment do they waver. They are constant in their loving devotion.

And then, as the sun begins its descent, so do the sunflowers. Down and down go their heads as the sun begins to dip below the horizon. As the darkness of night creeps over the land, a palpable darkness creeps over their spirit. their heads hang limp, facing the ground, devoid of all the joy they expressed throughout the day.

To me, they are a fine example of "He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting Revelation."