Sunflowers

I didn't get to go anywhere for my artist's date so I took a quiet moment while the kids napped and sat on my back deck.

I am surrounded by beauty that most people take for granted. I am blessed to live out in the country where I feel I truly belong. I grew up a city girl but country life is the life for me. It's quiet for the most part. We do have the occasional tri-axle truck that rumbles by polluting the air with its thick black diesel exhaust but for the most part it's quiet, calm, and peaceful.

I do admire the way the Amish and Mennonite live, so simple and plain. They don't rely on technology as we do. I admit I have attempted to live as simply as I could but it didn't last very long. My soul is not plain and it never has been. I enjoy color, music, and technology. I play video games, I dance, and sing just because I want to. I play in the rain, jump in mud puddles with my kids, and yes, I have even showered in a huge down pour.

I am not plain by any means, I am colorful and full of zest for life. Just like the sunflowers I see right in front of me. Bright vibrant yellows, oranges, and even a hint of red. Blooms wide open like a smiling face, smiling like they secrets they don't want to tell.

Standing almost nine feet tall, I am in awe of their size. I planted them as tiny seeds from last years flowers. I've watched them grow. It's taken some time but the outcome gives me such joy every time I look out my kitchen windows. God's glory surrounds us, in the tiny hummingbirds that flit by my feeders, the couples of cardinals that sit in my apple trees, to the wild white and purple flowers that border our property. Even in watching my children catch lightning bugs before dark or seeing those bright smiling sunflowers in the morning.

I am surrounded by life, by peace, by beauty, and the knowledge that I am blessed to have this gift called my life.