This #1 Amazon Best Seller book and award-winning in cultural diversity, bullies, peer pressure, self-esteem & self-respect, and prejudice & racism is about a sunflower, Suzy, that blows into a perennial garden. Mr. Gardener considers anything that the has not planted, a weed. This story is about “welcoming” something or someone new or different into your garden. When something new is added or happens, it can add more love n joy. This is a story of inclusion and acceptance.
Sonja Lange Wendt is an award-winning author of the Cultivating Compassion in Children books series. Her books are intergenerational and address important and sometimes difficult topics with children on inclusion, acceptance, disabilities, bullying and aging. Serina and Seymour Seed kick off and end each story. Seymour and Serina are the seeds of compassion children have, but sometimes they need planting and nurturing to cultivate the best in them. Through increasing awareness, understanding and discussion, these books teach that using compassion in different situations shows kindness in the greatest way in this sometimes difficult to navigate world.
Sonja uses a variety of setting and characters from grandparents, little girl, little boy, and bugs to engage children in the stories. The settings all include nature and the outdoors. Each story ends with thought provoking questions to be asked by the adult and discussed with the child.
These books are generally fitting for children ages 4-8 but as C.S. Lewis states, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” Her books are brilliantly illustrated with vivid colors and scenery.
"The only difference between a flower and a weed is a judgement," according to Dr. Wayne Dyer. Just like a gardener needs to manage weeds in the garden, we also need to manage weeds in our lives. A gardener typically consider weeds plants that were not planned and planted, they just popped up. Unplanned events that just pop up in our lives may be good or bad, partially determined by how we react to it. There are probably more unplanned events in our lives than planned. There may be times when we need to open our arms and welcome something or someone new into our life or accept a drastic, and maybe initially, panful, change. We need to listen to where we are being lead and be accepting to new possibilities. At the same time, depending on the situation, we need to be alert, assess, and ensure that whatever this unplanned event happens to be, that it is something that will allow us to positively thrive and grow. March 28 is Weed Appreciation Day. Appreciate those unplanned events in your life that keep your life interesting, intriguing, challenging and often rewarding. See the beautiful, intricate, flower in the weed. You make the judgement call, is it a weed?
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