The Sunflowers

"The Sunflowers", painting by Alton R. Lowe

I have always loved sunflowers. Following the sun as it moved from east to west during the day, it seemed to me as a boy that they were somehow alive. We grew them from seed. The seeds came in large bags of chickenfeed mixed in with many other kinds of seeds. My job as a boy, was to find the sunflower seeds and give them to my father who was well known in the village for growing the biggest sunflowers. In fact, one he grew was so big the entire village came to look at it.

In those days, we tried using everything brought in from outside. The bags, made of beautiful printed cloth, were used to make dresses for the girls and shirts for the boys. Most families owned a sewing machine in those days and put them to good use. Today, when I see sunflowers, I think of what a gift from the Almighty - beautiful and useful. A blessing for us all. - Alton