Flower Power

 The Message of the Sunflowers:
a Magic Symbol of Peace
by Georgianna Moore
1927-2002

Once upon a time the earth was even more beautiful than it is today. The water was pure and deep, reflecting within itself the sunlight which gave life to all the creatures beneath the waves.

The earth was green with many kinds of trees and plants. These gave food and shelter to the birds, the animals, and to all mankind. At night the air was so clear that the starlight gave a glow almost as bright as the moon.

The people of the earth lived close to nature. They understood it and honored it and never took more than what they needed from it. The people lived in peace so they prospered and began to build many nations all around the world according to nature’s climate.

But one day, a terrible thing happened. A strange spirit of greed entered the hearts of mankind. People began to be jealous of one another, and they were not satisfied with all the good things they already had. The nations wanted more and more of everything: more land, more water, more resources. They squeezed precious minerals from the earth to build terrible weapons to defend their nations from other greedier nations. They killed one another. They polluted the air and the water with poisons. Nature began to die.

This is called war. War is ugly. It destroys love and hope and peace.

Then one day a magical thing occurred. The birds of the air, the animals of the land, and the creatures beneath the water came to an agreement: if they were to survive, something would have to be done to stop these wars. Only through peace could their world survive.

“We cannot speak the human language,” they declared, “and mankind can no longer understand ours. We must find among us a symbol of peace so brilliant that all who see it will stop and remember that peace and sharing is beautiful.”

“I am what you need,” said a golden sunflower. “I am tall and bright. My leaves are food for the animals, my yellow petals can turn plain cloth to gold, my seeds are many and are used for food by all living beings. Yet, the seeds I drop upon the ground can take root and I will grow again and again. I can be your symbol of peace.”

All nature rejoiced, and it was decided that the birds would each take one sunflower seed and they would fly over every nation and plant the seed in the earth as a gift. The seeds took root and grew, and the sunflowers multiplied.

Wherever the sunflowers grew, there seemed to be a special golden glow in the air. The people could not ignore such a magical sight.

Soon they began to understand the message of the sunflowers so they decided to destroy all of their terrible weapons and to put an end to the greed and to the fear of war. They chose the sunflower as a symbol of peace and new life for all the world to recognize and understand.

A ceremony was celebrated by planting a whole field of sunflowers. Artists painted pictures of the sunflowers, writers wrote about them, and the people of the world were asked to plant more sunflower seeds as a symbol of remembrance.

All nature rejoiced once more as the golden sunflowers stood tall with their faces turned eastward to the rising sun, then followed the sun until it set in the west.

They gave their goodness to the world so that everyone who sees a sunflower will know that the golden light of peace is beautiful.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As many of Michael’s fans and the media gather outside the courthouse next week on the first day of Murray‘s trial, try to imagine the feeling in the air. The anticipation of this long-awaited trial has built to a crescendo and the energy is palpable. We are, after all, on the threshold of some sort of resolution to this horrific injustice. We all want our beloved Michael to be vindicated, as he should be, but we are braced for the inevitable litany (by Murray’s defense and especially by the media) of all the untruths and misunderstandings which plagued Michael throughout his life. The reality of having to stand by and helplessly watch as Michael is stripped of his dignity in the public eye once again is almost more than we can bear. The oceans of tears we have shed since his death over 2 years ago are still fresh and the pain of his loss is still an open wound, raw and throbbing.

We are concerned about his children and we want so achingly for the world to understand the absolute truth about everything that was good and honest and real about Michael Joseph Jackson. All of these emotions have stirred our determination to do what is right and our passion for seeing that the truth be told! But being the unique individuals we were created to be, we don’t always agree on how to go about it. Tension and disrespect have been fostered between fans on the web as individual opinions are expressed, and disagreements have fueled the fire of our desire to see justice finally be done for the man we all love. We have turned on each other, making judgments where we have no right to. We have created division where there once was unity.

This is called war. War is ugly. It destroys love and hope and peace.

In the midst of our determination, we have forgotten why we came together in the first place. And we have forgotten that we, along with his family and friends, are now Michael’s representatives in this world.

Michael was always about Love and Peace. Now WE must be the peacemakers!

When the Call For Love facebook group was first started this spring, and the trial was initially set to begin in May, there was a small group of us that formulated a plan to restore unity among the fans and to create an atmosphere of Love and Peace at the courthouse on the first day of the trial. We gathered our resources and made plans to order 100 sunflowers to be delivered to the courthouse and distributed among the various fan groups there before the Jacksons would arrive. We also ordered 4 white roses, each to be handed directly to the Jackson women as they entered the courthouse. Now, finally, after these long months of waiting for the trial to begin, our plan will be carried out! Our friend in LA, Betty Byrnes, is going to do everything she can to make sure it is carried out in a way that will foster Peace among the fans in the midst of the chaos. Fans who are now divided will be unified by the offering of Peace as symbolized by the sunflower. All of us who cannot physically be there for this important day in Michael's HIStory will be represented in this offering of Peace, Love and Unity that was Michael’s message! The lines of division will be erased as each sunflower is passed from one to another - differences forgotten in a moment that acknowledges our singleness of purpose! Barriers torn down in true Michael-fashion for the world to witness.

Imagine the sea of sunflowers visible to everyone there, including the media. This will help us all to remember that we have a responsibility to always be about Peace and Love as Michael’s representatives in the world - during this trial and for the rest of our lives.





THIS IS IT! … THIS is how we Love him and honor him!

"Dear God, Bless us all as we move closer to this important trial in Michael's HIStory. May we be true representatives of the Love and Peace which Michael LIVED every single day of his life. Help us to be the embodiment of that perfect Love in all we do, so that we may effect the change which is so badly needed in this world today. Thank you for the gift of Michael and for his gift of Love and Peace upon this Earth. Amen." ~ written by C. Burgess