Sunflower Smiles

Sunflowers make us smile. Every time. Their perky little faces bright with noonday sun just sunbathe you in happiness. When they first uncover their little faces, releasing their solar flare, the whole world lights up. They stand there in the rain, wind, heat and neglect … sunshine spears, unmoved by circumstances. Then, something amazing happens … they sink their roots down deep into their source and grow. They grow tall … I mean really tall. A towering presence in the flower garden, they become lighthouse beacons shooting down every melancholy thought with their shafts of light. They become bigger and bigger everyday … better and better.

We can be like them. An ancient writing of prose says, “our paths will be brighter and brighter” (Proverbs 4: 18). It means better and better. Like sunflowers, we can begin to tower over circumstances and challenges as we let our roots sink down deep into our source, our God. No matter how challenging a day may have been, we can pull from our source and become a shaft of towering sunshine in our own little world.

We hope our sunflowers make you smile today ... and shine. J

The Velvet Lime girls

THRIVE

Thrive … it’s such an encouraging word. It just makes you want to pull yourself up and reach for the stars again … like this little passion flower growing in my garden. She’s growing in a forlorn section of my garden, an area overlooked and covered with weeds. Who would ever think that such beauty could come out of this mess? But here she is, with her perky little head adorned with enthusiasm, dressed and ready to go, as if she’s strolling into a grand gala.

Wow, what an entrance she makes! She barely notices the desolation around her and instead brightens her entire surroundings.

We’re encouraged to live this way. And we can, when our strength finds its roots in the nourishment that comes from connecting with God. Years ago, a psalmist said it this way ... You’re a tree planted by streams of water… your leaf does not wither…whatever you do prospers. Psalms 1:3

So, no matter what surroundings or circumstances you find yourself in, sink your roots down deep, nourish yourself in connection with God... and begin to flourish and thrive again.

Laura

New Artwork!

It’s been a busy summer for us... traveling, staying home with the kids (and trying to find just one spare hour a day to be creative), swimming, playing....you get the idea. We’ve been busy creating and thinking and planning. And we couldn’t wait any longer to show you some new artwork. Remember when you were a kid in art class and you’d weave paper or make mosaics? (We sometimes get the best inspiration from their ideas!) This is just the beginning...there’s more to be uploaded. And we’ll be offering prints soon on Etsy.

Sallie’s Seeds

A packet of zinnia seeds has slept quietly in my kitchen drawer for almost two years. Given to me by my friend, Sallie, they weren’t entirely forgotten, just neglected by daily schedules… the intent to plant them was always there, I just never seemed to find the time. Early this summer I was thrilled to have a morning free and eagerly clasped the packet of seeds and planted them in the rich soil of my flower garden. Ahhh, … I could just feel their relief to be in their new home … a place where they could flourish and become everything that was hidden inside of them. How amazing that these dry, brittle, unimpressive seeds that I thought might not even be alive could produce the creations that now cover my flowerbed. Brilliant, vibrant, expressive colors with little yellow faces have exploded from these unassuming little seeds. Who would have thought such beauty could be contained inside? It made me think of how God views us …. His little seeds on this earth. Many of us have yet to flourish and become everything that has been hidden inside of us. We need to plant ourselves in rich soil and that takes a little time. This week, find time to nourish yourself with a little time with your Creator. Sink yourself in the rich soil of prayer and reading His Word …. And get ready for the quiet explosion that will come. You are a seed just waiting to bloom.

Laura