The other day, I posted this while on my walk:

Morning. Yesterday I listened to Alan Noble talk about courage as endurance. We think about having courage for some big event or big attack. He suggests that the person showing up day after day to provide care in the face of resistance for example is courage. So, you, and you, and you, are more courageous than you think.

I asked Nancy to talk about a flower with that kind of courage:

+++

In the spring of 2025, I sprinkled sunflower seeds in a small area of our garden. They were from a packet of inexpensive (and probably old) seeds that I bought at our local Habitat for Humanity reStore. Just a couple of seeds sprouted, and one plant grew to be more than 10 feet tall, with a large blossom/head full of seeds. The birds (and squirrels) feasted.

What a delight it was when three sunflower plants sprouted this spring from seed that had fallen to the ground! I was especially excited about the first one that came up and checked on it each day. Sadly, rabbits and squirrels were also paying attention to that sprout and chewed it off more than once. However, it persevered (and I surrounded it with chicken wire!) and grew to a nice height….and then, the blossom and seeds became too heavy, and it broke off to about 18 inches tall. 

But I left the broken stalk in the ground. Eventually I noticed new growth. Again, that little plant was steadfast, renewing its growth and even producing a blossom. 

Not to forget the other two plants that grew more than ten feet and produced several blossoms and seeds to feed the birds, squirrels, and rabbits.

+++

Sometimes courage is more like faithful. Season upon season.