Today I planted seeds for the first time in my life. Since our first wedding anniversary, I have been acquiring sunflower seeds from every single sunflower that my husband has gifted me, as well as others that were collected by my mother-in-love. I love sunflowers, in fact they were one of the flowers in my wedding bouquet. As a result, every year for our anniversary, my husband has my bouquet replicated and I save the seeds. The sunflowers themselves are exciting to me because there are so many different colors that were saved, but also because of the memories attached to the seeds. Some were from flower picking while I was pregnant with our daughter, others were from my thirty-first birthday bouquet that we picked together, with the help of our daughter. Some were from my husband’s cousin’s baby shower, and others were from flowers I received after the surgery that allowed me to get pregnant. Planting these seeds equate a garden of memories, each one beautiful and unique. When I think of it, I am planting more seeds than just sunflowers. This is an opportunity to plant the seeds of faith in our children. The analogy of planting faith as being like planting flowers never dawned on me until today. First, I had to dig rather deep in order to plant my flowers. I had to get around rocky soil, roots, and other obstacles in order to find the best soil. The next task was watering the soil because it was too dry for the seeds to take root. The third task was placing the seeds gently and covering them with the mud I made and patting the earth down. Finally, I watered over top of the rows where I planted the sunflowers and planned to check on them daily. The first task of getting through the obstacles in the soil is much like the word of God penetrating our souls. Due to original sin, and sometimes our own experiences, the Holy Spirit has to till around our heart in order to remove the rocks and bad roots in order to find fertile soil. Watering the soil occurs through receiving the Holy Spirit and eternal life. Planting and covering the seeds is what happens when we tell others about the word of God. The dirt is the circumstances of the world that may cover the seeds of faith that are planted in our hearts. When we plant these seeds and have good soil, we have the opportunity to grow in our faith. With strong roots and the living water, we can grow like my sunflowers and weather the storms of life. I never thought the act of gardening could be so much like my walk-in faith, but this is one of many instances where God’s lessons surround us in every aspect of our day. So, while I wait, and pray, for growth in my garden I will also be praying for growth in my faith as well as yours.