Faith in the Sunflowers

In 2016, I started working for the local Chiropractor here in the community. I have to admit, the first day I walked into the office, I didn't know what to expect. I was really nervous. The waiting area was dark and dusty some. As I walked up to the reception window and the doctor looked up and said, "You're here. Come on around to this side and make yourself at home." I remember sitting in the chair and feeling overwhelmed with the stacks of files and paperwork all over. I knew I had a lot to learn and a lot to get done. Well, I've been working there ever since. Gotten rid of all the stacks of paperwork, and the office has had quite a bit of updates since then.

A couple years ago, my boss asks me what I think can be done with the front outside next to the office window. There is about a 6 x 12 area that was fulled with weeds, trash, and old leaves that had blown around. I told him, I had the perfect idea. If he let me, I'd clean it up and plant flowers there if that's was okay. He told me it was my project. So, I went to the local gardening store and got some gardening tools, a little shovel, rake and ho, some gardening scissors, and gloves, and I got to work.

It took me a good week to clean up the area. Pulling all the weeds, and cleaning up all the trash out of there. Once I made sure the dirt was good and cleaned, I started preparing it for flower seeds. But not just any... I've always loved sunflowers, so that's what was planted. That's when I learn about all the different species of sunflowers! I had planted a variety of different ones, autumn sunflowers, tiny daisy sunflowers, even the big mammoth sunflowers.

It had only taken about a week for the sunflowers to sprout, and I thought, Oh my goodness!! I'm growing something! And it's not dead yet! Ha ha. I made sure to water them everyday and give them all the love I could. Before I know it the sunflowers had grew big, some even bigger then me. And then, they started to open their little peddles and show their bright faces! Watching them grow and open up, is probably one of my favorite things! The joy I feel in my heart, is just incredible. I love to see the beauty of each flower and the peddles open up and your able to see the bright colors. Watching them grow big and follow the sun through out the day, is incredible to me. I think part of my amazement is that I've grown them and help get them to be such beauties.

I wait for the sunflowers to open big and seed, before I take my gardening scissors and clip them. I usually let them sit in fresh water in my office until they whither and the seeds are able to be pulled from them. Most of the bigger flowers though, I just let seed outside and try to collect what's fallen off, to be able to save for the next season.

There's some of them that I made some flower arrangements out of and was able to give them as gifts. However, I've been trying to get an abundance of flowers so I could reproduce them into a bigger harvest for the next season. So far I've been successful, as it's my 3rd season and I've been able to supply my office garden, as well as start one at my home.

With me starting to be able to grow the sunflowers at my home, it has blossomed new and bigger ideas for my sunflowers. I have hopes of being able to turn my backyard into a sunflower garden and be able to produce and pollinate sunflowers. My goal is to have enough sunflowers to be able to reproduce and provide seeds, or transplant of flowers. As well as, eventually having my own bee farm to be able to pollinate and help with the process of the sunflowers.

Every year my sunflowers grow bigger, and so do my dreams. Eventually, I'll be able to have fields of sunflowers. And it all started with just a seed. Well, a packet of seeds.