Sunflower

Except for the tiny belt of fuzzy white yarn, it looks like all the other sunflower plants. It stands tall and straight; it sports the typical heart-shaped leaves and it is topped by the almost imperceptible promise of an August bloom.

Three weeks ago it was dying. My father discovered it bent in half, an inverted V, wilting and wasting away in the muddy spring soil. The outside of the stalk was intact, but the inside had obviously been smashed. Dad suggested that we stake it up so that the "life would flow back through the plant." He insisted that the sunflower would heal itself if it were supported. My initial thought was that it was all a waste of time, but, hey, he was the farmer, not me! I dutifully harvested a bamboo stake, and found a length of soft yarn left over from some knitting project. Kneeling in the dirt, Dad gently tied up the injured plant. It looked pathetic.

Twenty-one days later it is healthy and strong, well on the way to producing a glorious bloom. It is going to be one beautiful sunflower.

Sometimes a bit of extra attention can mean so much.