Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had an incredibly fun and blessed weekend. Our weekend didn't hold anything too major, and for once, I am glad for it. Every now and then, it's nice just to be able to have some time to relax, and do things around the house that just don't seem to get done during the week.
Our gardens are looking so lovely! I spent a portion of the weekend putting down weed-blockers in our flower beds and veggie beds. I noticed little zucchini and tomatoes popping up on their vines, and I can't wait to start incorporating garden fresh veggies into our meals! As I checked on the tomatoes, I noticed something else growing among the tomato plants. It looked like some sort of flowering plant, so I left it alone, even though I had no idea what it was, or how it got there- because I sure didn't plant it there. A few days later, I began to see the flowering plant take shape, and I soon realized what was growing in my veggie garden... a sunflower.
A rouge sunflower growing among my veggies- what a special discovery!
I never really thought much about sunflowers, until my sister got married in Kansas about 6 years ago. I sort of thought Kansas was bleak- not a lot to it, and very flat. From the plane, I noticed few trees and lots of flat, flat land. However, when we were out and about the morning of my sister's wedding, I noticed all of the beautiful sunflower fields, showing off God's handiwork, Great Creator that He is. I slowly began to see God's majesty, in everything we saw over the wedding weekend. It was no surprise that my sister used sunflowers in her wedding, had them adorning her cake, and as decorations at her reception. Now, every time I see a sunflower, I think of her.
Britt and Cory's wedding, 2008.
I miss my sister a lot. Like a lot of siblings, we have a special relationship. My sister is my best friend in the world, and she'll always be the one person who understands me in a way that most don't... the one who sees me in the silliest, most ridiculous ways I hope others never see me in. North Carolina and (now) Oklahoma are quite a distance from each other... and there are days, and moments, when I long just to be riding down the road with my sis, one of us at the wheel both of us singing along to Celine Dion or something else we'd belt out at the top of our lungs. We see each other (maybe) once a year- for some, that's more than most siblings see each other, and I know that. For us, it's hard- but that's life.
I take the time to pray over my sister and her husband each and every night, as I do for my other family members. They are such an important part of my life, and though I miss my sister dearly, I know that her life is out West with Cory. The little sunflower that popped up in my veggie garden was no accident. I know I didn't put it there, but I believe that God did. He put it there to remind me that my sister, though half way across the country, is still so much a part of my life, and always will be. When I see this sunflower, I'll think of her, think about all the memories we've made, and the ones we have yet to make.
I thank God for this simple little gift, that I could have easily overlooked, or removed with the weeds. Something told me to leave the plant alone, and so I did. I'm glad I did. The flower did open, by the way, and it's beautiful- just like my sister.
Where have you found joy in a simple gift lately?
Look around- you may be surprised by what you find.
I am glad that your garden is doing so well. It has been so hot and dry here in NC that many are withering I'm sure. I'm also glad that you saw this as not just another flower but as a little miracle from God. I believe that he give us little miracles more than we know, we just don't recognize them as such.
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