My Mark of Humility

Obedience and Humility:
a path to peace


This is one of my favorite prints.
It is an engraving/aquatint that
I did in 1994
drawn from a Photograph that
I shot in my sister's backyard
several years before that.

I have a copy of it in my family
room right nearmy usual "spot"
so that I can look to it regularly.
I love that Sunflowers are symbols
of Obedience and Humility.

I like to meditate upon this sunflower.
It was a MAMMOTH Sunflower.
They are truly the largest flowers
that I have ever grown, and yet
they bow their heads.
Their foliage is large and shady and if planted
in rows, can actually form a sort of fort, that little ones can play in.
Their shafts are strong, but ultimately,
the beautiful brown and golden head carries too much weight
and they face downwards.
They also turn their heads to follow the sun.
Shouldn't we all have this attitude when contemplating
the blessings that we have been given?
Bowing our heads before God and turning our faces to the Son.
Can we be all that we are called to be without the support of our creator?
I was thinking about these mammoth sunflowers today, and remembering
those that the girls and I planted when they were very small.
They were fascinated watching them grow,
especially when the flowers towered over them.
Then they were a little afraid to go near them
because of the ever present honey bees.
We let the flowers stay in the garden long after they looked scraggly and old.
It occurred to me that this was when they were the most useful.
The seeds had dried naturally and were ready for the birds to harvest daily.

I may not be my most beautiful right now.
My day doesn't always admit a shower, let alone make-up.
I am not the thinnest I have ever been.
But maybe- just maybe- I am at my most USEFUL:
to my Husband, my Children, my Family, my Friends and my Lord.
I am at Peace.