Nectar of LIfe by Sara Doelle
Glow by Mark Anderson
Glow by Mark Anderson
warmth and love of the sun. Babies they were, young and tender with tender roots and
weak knees, soft faces and happy hearts. Early in the morning they would come out to
enjoy the morning sun and sit in the garden with all the other flowers listening to the
birds singing praise.
In the middle of the day when the sun rose up high it became quite hot and their soft
young petals began to wilt in the heat of the midday sun. It was very hot and they were
young, with tender roots and weak knees, soft faces and happy hearts.
Nearby were two big sunflowers with thick roots and strong knees, glowing bold faces
and generous hearts. The two baby sunflowers said to the two big sunflowers, "May we
stand in your shade in the middle of the day when the sun is so hot that it begins to wilt
our soft young petals, for we are young, with tender roots and weak knees, soft faces
and happy hearts?" The two big flowers said "Of course we would love to share our
shade with you for we were once young too. And now we have thick roots and strong
knees, glowing bold faces and generous hearts." So the two young flowers moved
close to the two big flowers during the heat of the day, and they were safe in the shade
of their big friends.
One of the big sunflowers that were giving shade turned and looked at the young
flower in its shadow and said, "How small you are, I was once like you, I will give you
shade and gaze upon you always, even if we do not grow." So these two sunflowers
gazed upon each other gradually forgetting the sun. Their faces lost their shiny yellow
glow, like sleeping flowers their heads sank low.
The other big sunflower said to the young flower in its shade, "You may share my
shade, a welcome friend you are. But I must fix my gaze on the sun always, for I am a
sunflower, and get my glow from the sun.
The little flower in the shade of the big flower that kept gazing upon the sun gradually
started to grow up and gaze upon the sun all day long. The shadow of the big sunflower
became too small for the young flower; it needed more room to grow. So she said, "I
want to gaze upon the sun and your shadow has become dark to me. For I am a
sunflower and I get my shiny glow from the sun." Her roots began to grow thick and her
knees strong, her face was glowing boldly and she now had a generous heart. The two
flowers continued together side by side both gazing upon the sun, for they are
sunflowers, with thick roots and strong knees, glowing faces and thankful hearts.
