This is “Wilma,” the canna—“Happy Wilma,” so named by her developers.  Born in a

subtropical climate, I’ve always enjoyed the flamboyant and colourful plants.  I had planned to find one with yellow and green striped leaves and orange flowers—and I did, but Wilma had more flowers, cost less and was easier to carry home on the bus.  Besides, her colours were beautiful too with reddened leaves and bursts of yellow orange and coral flowers, so she came to home with me to be the back anchor of our long garden.  There’s no missing her even from a distance.

After the first flush of blossoms, for a while, only the leaves showed their colour, so I prayed over the plant. Then Wilma was happy again—really happy, with two spires of blooms!

When I studied art in college, I painted a large yellow green- leaved canna and called it Flambeau. Later, I painted it again as part of a large church mural. Initially, a friend told me that she really didn’t like that part of the mural

because it reminded her of a destructive fire in her childhood home. Week after week as she looked at it; Jesus healed her memory of the traumatic event.  She didn’t know that the painting was named Flambeau—Burning Torch. God uses plants and paintings to heal.