The Power of One

Many people bike the Camino. Some look like they are doing the Tour de France, with their heads down racing at top speeds.

I saw a sunflower, stopped under the shade of a tree and pulled out my camera when I heard the screaching of breaks and thought I would hear a crash.

What I saw next surprised me. A young man came to an abrubt halt next to the same sunflower. He obviously didn't see me in the shade. In a smooth move, before his bike even stopped, his hand reached into his back jersey pocket and he slid out his camera. He quickly took a picture and I thought he would speed off. But he didn't. He leaned over and gently caressed the leaves. He then tipped his bike even more and smelled the sunflower!

As I quietly stood there I wondered what country that young man was from and how interesting it was that we had passed 100's of sunflower fields and he didn't know what they were. He pushed off and reached top speed in seconds. I crossed the street and took my picture.

For the next several hours I thought about that sunflower. I hoped the 60 year old lady I ate lunch with who has 2 sons and lost her husband to ALS 3 months ago passed by and smiled. I hoped Jennifer, who stopped her chemo on her stage 4 cancer to do the Camino took joy in its beauty. I hoped many pilgrims took its picture to remind them of the Power of One.

If one sunflower can stop a speeding bike, imagine what One smile, One postcard, One prayer, One kind word could do in this world? Believe in the Power of One.Read more