In the January issue of Carolina Country, there is a series of photos taken by members and one in particular stood out for very personal reasons: Sunflower Surveillance, submitted by Amanda Quinzi, a member of Haywood EMC. We lost my mother-in-law last May in a tragic auto accident, and her favorite flower was the sunflower. Since then, sunflowers seem to pop up in the most unexpected places and bring us all great comfort. They say cardinals represent those we lose but Mom would have to be different!Following my mother-in-law’s death, we had thank-you cards printed with a photo of the sunflowers each of us carried at her funeral. She always said “when you can’t see the sunshine, be the sunshine,” and these precious words have carried us the last six months since the accident.So, as I was looking through the most recent issue of Carolina Country, I was captivated by Amanda’s photo and thought of Mom watching down on all of us from heaven. I could not help but smile and feel warmed on a cold and gray winter’s day. Thank you, Amanda, for sharing your beautiful photo and for being the sunshine for me when I could not see it.

Valerie Parrella, Waxhaw, A member of Union Power