Sunflowers please

On April 1, 2012 my Grammy Mary passed away. She was 85 years old and lived a long wonderful life. Mary lived in Mulberry, KS, a small town that in in both Kansas and Missouri. She didn't always live there. When I was a young child she lived in Aurora, CO for some time with her new husband Harold. I was very young and don't remember much of the time she lived here.

After her time in Colorado she moved to Lamar Missouri to a small yellow house with history as a World War VA house. My memories of her in that house include a time long ago when she gave me a mini cradle for my baby doll Ruth. I still have that cradle stashed away in my parent's basement. Someday I will pass that along to my future daughter or grand daughter along with the story of my Grammy Mary.

So what about sunflowers? Every year when my parents and I would make the 12 hour drive to see my Grammy we would have to drive the long straight part of I-70 that goes through Kansas. Sometimes the only thing that would appease me as a young anxious child was looking out at the seemingly never ending sunflower fields. They stood tall, looking toward the sun and waved their green stalks in the wind. How could a young girl not fall in love with the bright happy flowers...

The last few years we haven't been so lucky as to travel during the time which they are growing but that doesn't mean that I don't remember all the times when we did and the effect of those sunflowers on me.

Sunflowers have become my favorite flower, associated with special trips to family reunions to see my Dad's family and his mother. I have sunflower candles and decorations. Even my wedding cake will be decorated with sunflowers. So again I say, "Sunflowers Please!"