There is something spectacular about sunflowers! Gaze upon one in your mind’s eye or linger  with the photos here for a moment . . . . Breathe in their beauty.  

The benefits of sunflowers in our lives are many. They attract bees, butterflies, and birds; they enhance soil; they provide food for us and wildlife.  Did I mention they are beautiful?!

A remarkable feature of the sunflower is the young plant’s ability to track the sun. This is called heliotropism. It turns out sunflowers, like people, have a circadian rhythm, an internal clock that results in behavior changes over the course of a 24-hour day. The east side of the young sunflower stem grows more during the day, which turns the flower from east to west, and then at night the west side of the stem grows at a faster rate, which turns it back to face east. Once the sunflower is mature, it stays facing east in order to better attract pollinators. What an amazing adaptation of the plant to meet its needs and maximize potential that changes over the course of a day and a lifetime.

Metaphorically speaking, I find it rich to think of myself as a sunflower and God as the sun (Psalm 84:11), a life-giving force that brings light to the world. What helps me continuously turn towards the light and be transformed by it? How can I honor the wisdom of my inner circadian rhythm? Am I in a young or mature phase of my life? How does knowing my phase of life help me honor how I orient? How do I absorb and reflect and give away the light as beauty and nourishment in order to bless the world around me?

In our trinity garden at Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, we have a circle garden planted in three sections that bloom by season. The autumn section is dominated annually by stunning sunflowers. This is our fourth year having a Sunflower Sunday, which is an invitation to arrive 30 minutes early to worship. We gather around and ground ourselves alongside the sunflowers with prayer, breathing, gentle stretching using a sun salutation yoga flow, poetry, psalms, garden tea and sunflower treats, including the energy bites recipe shared here.  

This year our Sunflower Sunday falls on September 21st, which is the autumnal equinox, a day of equal day and night across the globe. This coincides with a new national event this year, Sun Day, a day of action celebrating clean renewable energy. September 21st is also the International Day of Peace, established by the United Nations 44 years ago, which is a call to act for peace in the world. All of these fall within the Season of Creation, a time (September 1 through October 4), for Christians to come together worldwide in prayer and action for Creation with this year’s theme, Peace with Creation, being symbolized as the Garden of Peace. It seems these are all interwoven and include the wisdom of sunflowers.  

I am grateful how spending time with the sunflower is helping to guide and grow me this season. May God’s garden of peace grow in you as well.

RECIPE

Energy Bites

All food we ingest is energy being transferred. Sun energy captured in the form of edible ingredients enters our bodies upon eating. These ‘energy bites’ offer up a delicious and dense source of energy. Using sunflower seeds reminds me of this sun energy offering. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 1 cup natural nut butter or seed butter 
• ½ cup shelled sunflower seeds
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut 
• ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
• ⅓‒½ cup honey or maple syrup
• ⅓‒½ cup mini chocolate chips
• ¼ cup freshly ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until everything comes together. I love to use my food processor, a power tool that makes quick work of this job with just a few pulses!
2. Scoop out spoonfuls and form into balls. A cookie scoop works nicely.  Another option is to press the mix into a 8×8-inch pan and make bars.
3. Refrigerate to firm up before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.