“Like the sunflower… May you find your light! “ Krista Weller Burns
On one of the many rides driving into Boston for treatment, Krista noticed a green stem poking up through the concrete highway barriers at the Allston toll booth on the Mass Pike. With every dreary trip, we hoped with great anticipation that the sprout would still be there. It was a relief to witness it getting taller and taller, and finally, Krista shouted, “It’s a sunflower!” Sure enough, a big bud and then later, BOOM… a yellow disk reaching for the sunlight. Krista was thrilled that this little plant… surrounded by the asphalt jungle on barely a spot of soil and getting whipped and blown about from vehicles zipping by… grew as a reminder that out of the darkest moments comes the light. “I am that flower” she said. I may be broken, but I can still BLOOM! “ And so she kept working toward her artistic dreams despite her diagnosis.
As we began to think about a legacy for Krista, we remembered that lonely sunflower growing against all odds reaching for the light. We planted sunflowers in her memory that first summer. We watered them with tears, missed her presence, her voice, her hugs, her laughter. The gorgeous plants with their blooming heads following the sun were a comfort to us. They reminded us of Krista’s bright spirit and giving nature. Big, bold, and beautiful, they reached high into the sky smiling into the sunshine, abundant with seeds of potential. We were in awe of their beauty, of their utility as well, restoring the soil, providing food for bees and birds, and then scattering their seeds to give again in a new season. That sunflower power reminded us of our ever-busy Krista aspiring higher to pursue her dreams but along the way finding time and energy to help others.
So, every summer, on the little homestead where Krista grew up, Jeff & Evelyn, her parents, plant thousands of sunflowers in celebration of her well-lived life. The blooms are donated to Kiki’s’ Garden for the annual Sunflowers for Scholarships Fundraiser.
But beyond fundraising, the sunflowers create a magical atmosphere at the farm. Tears and laughter resound under the canopy as folks share their own heartfelt stories of joy or sadness. The flowers go to cheer the sick and the bereaved, celebrate life’s special moments, brighten a gravesite, accompany an apology, heal a broken heart, serve as a message from a departed loved one, or say, “I love you”. Amazingly, sunflowers have even once helped avert a mental health crisis! The aura of these golden disks brings so much joy, enlightening our community with empathy and compassion. A gift… and a reminder that life may break us, but we can still BLOOM!
