Sunflowers and Vincent van Gogh

The Smile in Our Back Yard

The tootsies were surprised to step on dew this morning.  I wanted to get a close-up of this happy face growing beside our screened-in porch.

by Vincent van Gogh

Sunflowers have been the inspiration for artist and writer over the centuries.  Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) created two series of paintings of sunflowers in various stages of life from full bloom to shriveled.  He preferred the yellows, and some of his paintings were done entirely in shades of yellow.

by Vincent van Gogh

The French appropriately call the sunflower tournesol, which means 'turn with the sun.'

It's so easy sometimes to put our anchors down in the waters of sadness.  Maybe the sunflower is trying to tell us something.  It's not easy to be down in the dumps on a sunny day.  If we follow the sun, our spirits will lift so we see only the good in our lives.  Another example of the outdoors being a storehouse of answers.  When one thinks about it, life is pretty much a scavenger hunt, isn't it?

I hope your heart is smiling today.