Four Weeks After Sam
“Oh that I could see your face
How I’m longing for the day
Brighter sun of holy grace
Make my heart a holy place
Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kingdom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kingdom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kingdom of God”
There are many reasons the sunflower is Sam’s flower and a symbol for us in this season. We lost our son, and we are broken. Sunflowers remind us of a few things that we need right now:
Facing the sun: we need God, even when we are angry and don’t understand. These flowers resiliently and stubbornly face toward the sun, even when other elements make that difficult. it is this act that helps them flourish amidst adversity.
Being planted together: as a TCK, I find it easy to imagine uprooting and going elsewhere. in this season, I cannot imagine going through this without community. we need each other and we need not to be okay together. the village mindset has never been more important to me. we are not meant to go through the highs and lows of life alone or just with our immediate family— we need our friends, church, city, global/virtual village. and needing each other is one of the most sacred things in life.
Anniversaries: these flowers thrive in late July/August. we hope every time you see a sunflower, you think of us and pray for us. write us, send a voice note, etc. and remember that we are not alone and need each other in our pain. I hope that you feel that you can share your burdens with your village too. we couldn’t walk through this without our people remembering us especially on Mondays, on the 5th of the month, or whenever they see this flower. thank you soooo much for reaching out. I need it and so deeply appreciate it.
