Lily loved the twilight hours. The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the tall oak trees in her backyard.
Tonight, though, Lily felt a little different. She was restless, her thoughts fluttering like butterflies.
Her mother tucked her into bed, a soft blanket tucked around her shoulders. "Close your eyes, Lily," her mother whispered, her voice like soft music.
"But Mommy," Lily said, her voice barely a breath, "I want a special dream tonight. A kind dream."
Her mother smiled gently. "Dreams are like little seeds, Lily. If you nurture them with kindness, they will grow into beautiful flowers."
Lily closed her eyes, and whispered, "I want a kind dream...a dream about flowers."
And so, Lily drifted off to sleep. She dreamt of a garden filled with flowers of every color imaginable – deep purples, sunny yellows, and shy pinks. Each bloom seemed to whisper a sweet secret to the wind.
In the center of the garden stood a small, struggling sunflower, its face tilted towards the sky, struggling to reach the sunlight. It was so small, and so sad.
Lily felt a pang of sympathy. She felt like she needed to help. She noticed nearby a group of cheerful butterflies. With a flutter of wings, they flew to help the sunflower. The small sunflower, it turned out, wanted a special kind of help.
Lily thought for a moment. She reached out a hand, not to touch, but to gently offer a bit of sunshine from her own special dream. With kindness, Lily encouraged the other flowers to offer their sunshine to the little sunflower as well.
The sunflowers glowed, and the small sunflower drank in the warm golden light. It grew taller and stronger, its face beaming with happiness. A large, fragrant sunflower bloomed! The gentle breeze whispered a sweet song to Lily.
Lily opened her eyes, a smile upon her face. She knew now that even the smallest dreams could blossom into something beautiful when nurtured with kindness and patience. And she knew that a kind dream was the sweetest dream of all.
Lily snuggled deeper into her bed, grateful for the peaceful dream and the loving kindness that filled it.
As the first rays of dawn kissed the windowpane, Lily knew that this dream was a seed planted in her heart, a seed that would blossom into kindness in her everyday life.
And she felt a warm glow of gratitude for the sweet dream her mother had helped her find.