Here is a glimpse behind the scenes of my office. The messiness is overshadowed by the sunshine of these sunflowers, one component of an elaborate wedding gift from my mom and sister.

Each time I look at them they make me smile. Sunflowers hold so many sentimental memories for me. One of my earliest memories is growing them with my mom in the windowsill of our west Harlem apartment. I was just 4 years old, but I remember checking on them every single day, multiple times a day in fact. It was as if Jack’s magic beans had been planted in our apartment, how quickly they grew.

Sunflowers always remind me of my late grandmother, too. She loved plants and flowers of all kinds, always the nurturer and a talented gardener. The bright yellow of these flowers exude the same bright, cheery optimism of my grandma. And these flowers remind me of my visits to see her. Often our first outing together would be to the grocery store because she wanted to stock the house with my favorite foods whether I was staying for just two days or a week. I liked to grab a bouquet for her, sometimes a growers bunch or something pre arranged, while she inspected produce. And when we’d get home she would take them straight to the sink and arrange them in a vase so they could be displayed on her cluttered dining table. That table was the heart of her home, the place were I got so much guidance, nourishment, and more laughs than imaginable.

And last, but not least, these flowers always bring my back to the true friendships I’ve made over the years. They’ve come to represent the many young women I have grown up with and the many new friends who shine on my life.

Such a sentimental and optimistic flower 🌻