The Story Behind Sowing Seeds

Many years ago, I lost my mother after her long battle with Sarcoidosis. During the years when she became increasingly ill, I found myself taking on many roles: her social worker, her therapist, her lawyer, her chauffeur, and her second set of eyes, hands, and feet. I was there to help her navigate life, care for herself, and manage the things she could no longer manage alone.

But before her illness became so limiting, my mother was always moving, always helping, and always serving. She was one of those people who seemed like one of God’s angels.

Her favorite flower was the sunflower, and she was very much like the flower herself, a ray of sunshine who brought light, warmth, and encouragement to the people around her.

She loved her community. She spent a lot of time talking to the sick and shut-in, teaching people how to access food pantries to ensure those around her had enough to eat. And when she could, she prepared home-cooked meals and baked her famous chocolate cake.

She even babysat the neighborhood children when mothers needed a little extra help.

When she was able to get up, get dressed, and go where she wanted to go, she did.

I would often find myself trying to find her, trying to keep up with her.

I would ask, “What are you doing, Mama?” Or, “Where have you been, Mama?”

Her answer was always simple:

“I’ve been out sowing seeds.”

At the time, those words were simply something my mother said about the way she spent her days helping people.

After she was gone, I came to understand that she had been teaching me something much deeper.

She was teaching me that our lives are about what we plant in other people.

A kind word.

A helping hand.

A moment of encouragement.

A willingness to care for someone when they need it.

A seed of hope.

Today, I carry that lesson with me in everything I do.

The sunflower has become a symbol of my mother and a reminder of the light she brought into the lives of others.

Sowing Seeds, LLC was named in her memory.

Through this work, I continue the legacy she began by helping people heal, grow, care for themselves, and care for one another.

I am now sowing seeds too.

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