FINDING PEACE WITH FLOWERS AS PRELUDE TO JOY
Barbara Parsons dealt in her life with incarceration and what others might consider to be overwhelming obstacles of life. But for Barbara, it was her connection with nature and the simple act and beauty of gardening that helped her find what she needed to move through the rough patches of life.
American botanist Luther Burbank once said that “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. Barbara tells us that the sunflower is her favorite flower. “They are so happy.”
Happiness, she sometimes feels, may be an illusion. But working amidst their “happy faces” fringed with sun rays helps bring her the restorative peace that she craves.
Sunflowers, as it turns out, are one of Barbara’s favorite flowers.
It’s the little brown face, surrounded with sun rays—it just seems to be a happy face. They stand so tall and aggressive. There’s something about them that makes you happy.
