Stand Tall and Follow the Son

All flowers thrive and bloom because of the sunshine, their source of life.

I learned about flowers from my mother who surrounded herself with daffodils, snapdragons, tulips, gladiolas, and black-eyed Susan. Today, I surround myself with flowers as much as possible. I remember mom planting bulbs, and in the spring, crocuses would be the first to bloom. Every year the garden was ablaze of color from rhododendrons and azaleas. Once, she planted sunflowers along the garden and they grew fast, tall, and bright yellow. I believe God made flowers to share his love and kindness with us.

Sunflowers exude brightness and happiness. They have the endearing capability to brighten anyone’s day or decorate any room.

 

Sunflowers are magnificent creations. They not only look like the sun they also need lots of it.  The young flower buds face east and track the sun across the sky to generate energy for bearing fruit (seeds). The flower’s head are the size of dinner plates.

At close glance, you will notice each sunflower head is thousands of tiny flowers. The insects, mostly bees, come along and pollinate every little flower which will yield one tiny seed. A single sunflower can produce up to 2000 individual seeds. The arrangement of seeds are a scientific spiral formula. They easily grow up to ten feet tall and are the fastest growers of all flowers.

In some ways, sunflowers are an ideal model on how to live life. Sunflowers have a beautiful bright golden face, all growing together in harmony. The sunflower never takes its gaze off its source of life. 

Elder Quinton L. Cook, referenced sunflowers in a recent General Conference. He said, “Like the young sunflower, when we follow the Savior of the world, the Son of God, we flourish and become glorious despite the many terrible circumstances that surround us. He truly is our light and life.”

Matthew 13:43, “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” 

“As individuals ... we thrive and bloom if we are rooted in our love of the Savior and humbly follow His teachings.” (The Lord is My Light, April 2015)