One sunny morning, a little flower flipped open her petals for the very first time and looked up at the bright sun shining down on her face. She drank in the comforting warmth of its rays, soaking up all the loving nourishment it so kindly gave. All throughout the day, the sun shone down on the little flower, and the flower stretched her colorful petals as wide as they would go, lifted her tiny face upward, and said, in her own little way, “Thank you!”

As evening approached and the sun crept lower in the sky, the flower lowered her head, folded her petals around herself, and rested peacefully, knowing that the sun would be there to greet her when she woke up.

For days on end, the little flower would awaken each morning and excitedly flip her small petals open and look upward to her big, shiny friend and say, “Good morning!!” The sun would smile on her throughout the day, bathing her in nurturing rays, as much as she needed and then some. The flower felt loved and safe with the sun watching over her, and the sun looked forward to seeing the tiny blossom’s greeting every day. Their bond was pure and true.

One day, the flower noticed that the sun wasn’t quite as bright or present as usual. She searched the sky for his rays and couldn’t see or feel them. She didn’t realize that a large cloud had passed in front of the sun for a moment. Just when she was starting to truly worry, the cloud moved along and she felt the warmth of her friend once again. However, the following days carried fewer and fewer visits from her friend the sun. The flower didn’t understand. Every evening, she would fold her petals and rest her head a little later, wondering why her friend was so distant.

Then one day, the little flower didn’t see the sun for a whole day. The sky, which was normally bathed in a beautiful bright blue, had been growing more dull each day. On this day, it was a pale grayish-white, and there were dark clouds in the sky. The flower looked upward all day long, waiting to see and feel her beautiful golden friend…but he never showed up. Oh, he was there. She just couldn’t see or feel him. The little flower couldn’t make sense of what was going on. She kept waiting…she stretched her little purple petals as widely as she could, hoping to somehow beckon him out of the clouds and into her view…..she never saw him. She waited all day long.

Now, the little flower had never seen darkness. She always fell asleep before the sun had completely set. On this night, though, she stayed up later, hoping for just one ray, one little glimmer to let her know that he hadn’t completely abandoned her. When night fell, she was truly terrified. Her sunny friend was gone forever. No more glowing afternoons, no more good mornings. No more greetings. No more warmth and love. She had been weakening by the day. The little flower had given up all hope. And so, in the darkness, she lowered her weary head and folded her small petals one last time, collapsing to the soil below.

The next morning, the sun rose with its full brightness, excited to see his tiny friend’s big smile and outstretched arms……but instead saw the wilted, exhausted little flower surrendered to the earth. He shone right down on her, hoping to see her small face one more time, but to no avail.

What the flower didn’t understand was that the sun was there the whole time. He saw her. He wanted to get to her. But there was a huge storm keeping him from being able to nurture her, to give her the strength of brightness and warmth that he usually did. What the sun didn’t understand was just how nourishing his rays were to the little flower, and that even though he was there, when she couldn’t see or feel him, it was as if he were gone completely.

And so ended a beautiful relationship.

Nature speaks in its own way. Nevertheless, it can’t use words. Humans can. When we feel a loved one is distant, they may be going through a storm that is keeping them from giving us their best self. When we’re going through a storm, our loved ones might feel abandoned by us if they don’t understand what’s going on. If we have the ability to use our words, we must communicate with one another. It would be a tragedy to lose a pure and true bond when all it would have taken to save it was a simple conversation.

Come visit again soon for Communication: Part Two, where we’ll talk about how vital communication is to the health of a relationship, as well as what makes it so difficult for us to use it effectively.

I am strong. You are strong. Let’s do this together.