The Sunflower That Always Smiled

In a flower garden lived a sunflower named Saeng Thong, who always turned to face the sunlight and smiled brightly every single day. One day, the sky turned gray with rain clouds. Nearby, the rose and the daisy drooped grumpily, complaining that such gloomy weather was no fun at all.

Saeng Thong smiled at her friends and said, "The rain will help water our roots and make them stronger. And today isn't nearly as hot as yesterday, either!" The rose and the daisy couldn't help but smile a little, starting to see the gray sky in a better light.

Not long after, a big storm swept through the garden. The wind howled and rain poured down so hard that the rose and daisy bent over, their stems cracking, some petals torn away. All the flowers trembled with fear, huddling as best they could.

When the storm passed, the garden looked battered and torn. The rose and daisy felt sad, sure they could never look beautiful again. But Saeng Thong, though her stem was bent too, still smiled and encouraged them. "Our roots are still strong," she said. "If we help hold each other up, we'll bloom beautifully again — I know we will."

All the flowers helped prop up each other's bent stems and shared water together. When the sun came out again, each flower slowly straightened up, and within a few days, the garden bloomed more beautifully than ever. The rose and the daisy thanked Saeng Thong for never losing hope, and for helping everyone get through the hard days together.

Even on hard days, looking for the small good things around us and holding on to hope can help us — and the people around us — get through anything.