Peering out across its home in the little vegetable garden it looked upon its fellow neighbours all rising tall to meet the morning sun. For forever now it had felt lonesome standing so short when everyone else reached so tall. There were the proud tomato plants all gossiping together in their happy bunch at more than double its height. Just next door the corn stalks out of no-where banding together to reach ever higher toward the sky. Even the scrappy cabbage plants were snickering at the little sunflower as it worked to peek out from just beyond the horizon of the vegetable garden’s deep brown sea.

But then…

After what had felt like an eternity of sun the little sunflower looked above one cool morning and saw the sky darken to a fearful mix of black and turbulence. And then it rained… and rained… and rained… and the little sunflower feared it would wash clean away. The tomatoes, corn, and cabbages huddled together with their leaves pulled tightly overhead doing their best to keep from drowning in the sudden wave of rain.

All alone the sunflower held fast with its little roots digging deeper into the earth. As the rain continued to fall its little leaves reached up with all their might to provide as much cover as they could muster. And quiet as a whisper the little sunflower said to itself, “I am not mighty… but today I must be”. Over and over again, as the rains lashed overhead the little sunflower repeated, “I am not mighty… but today I must be”.

Ever so slowly the rains first ebbed and then finally stopped. The garden’s vegetables breathed a collective sigh of relief as the sun returned and they could let down their leaves to drink in its warmth. As they looked up to find the sun though, the tomatoes, the corn, and the cabbages let out a collective gasp as towering above them all… stood our little brave sunflower.

Its roots had burrowed deep into the earth to find hold during the storm while its leaves, with a secure foundation, reached higher and higher bringing the sunflower’s bright little disk along for the ride. As they all looked up in amazement they heard what they could not when the rain and thunder shattered loudly overhead.

All the while the sunflower was still holding fast with its little roots now running like subways across the garden. It’s little leaves now spread far and strong and providing cover across a new crop of beans now sheltering underneath. With the rain gone what had seemed like a quiet whisper was instead a booming roar as the little sunflower said to itself, “I am not mighty… but today I must be”. Over and over again, as the sun shone ever stronger the little sunflower repeated, “I am not mighty… but today I must be”.

And from somewhere barely audible but definitely there… a little bean sprout looked to his friends and said…