I have heard orchids described as tempermental…..finicky…..difficult…..beautiful…..
My orchid was a gift on Christmas morning 2019. Perhaps it is the significance of that particular Christmas which makes my orchid so dear to me.
If I am being realistic, in my heart, I knew it would be my mother’s last Christmas with us. What I didn’t realize then was we had less than five weeks remaining together. This would be our last gathering, our last family dinner, and our last family photo.
But it wasn’t just a Christmas of “lasts”, it was a Christmas of celebration. While Brooke had already been a part of our family and had spent Christmas with us previous years, this Christmas she and Cole were engaged, and their wedding was on the horizon. We would soon be “officially” gaining a daughter as our family grew and our hearts were joyful.
The orchid was a gift from Brooke’s sister, Meghan. Meghan was a beautiful addition to our festivities that day and more evidence our family was growing.
All the chairs around the table were full as love and laughter filled our home…..it was a beautiful and memorable Christmas…..and somehow, in my mind, the orchid became a tangible symbol of the day.
The orchid traveled back to Kentucky with us. I read about the care and “needs” of orchids. When we arrived home, I searched to find just the right spot – sunlight…..no drafts….. I began to methodically place three ice cubes in the pot each Friday. The orchid grew, thrived, and produced bloom after bloom. Jimmy and I would examine it looking for the next buds exclaiming to each other, “there is a new one!”. When Jimmy and I would travel, I would move the “icing” either forward or back by a day, but if it required more than that, my sweet friends would “ice” my orchid. One of them would drive across town simply to place three ice cubes on my plant…..what wonderful friends! They would take time from their day to place ice cubes on something that was important to me….that is true friendship!
When it was time to move, the orchid made the drive sitting in the console box in my jeep. I placed packing around the base so it wouldn’t slide or tip. I even angled the vents so the air conditioning wouldn’t blow on it. Once we reached our South Carolina home, the search was on to find the perfect location for the plant – sunlight…..no drafts….. The “icing” continued each Friday and there was an occasion or two when Chance was on “icing” duty and took his time to place the ice cubes.
It wasn’t too long after the move when blooms began to drop…..one by one by one…..finally leaving the orchid bare. I refused to give up on my orchid and continued to devotedly place three ice cubes each Friday; nurturing it along; whispering encouraging words…..”come on, you can do this”, “hang in there, you will adjust”, “it won’t be long and you will bloom again”; hoping for the plant to adjust to new surroundings; waiting patiently for it to begin to thrive.
After four months…..upon close inspection…..there they were! Two new buds had begun to form. The orchid had persevered and overcome adversity.
How much are each of us like my orchid? Are there times when others would describe us as tempermental…..finicky…..difficult…..beautiful…..
Just when life is going smoothly, there is a disruption or a change or a disturbance and we begin to feel our blooms drop…..one by one by one…..
We move ourselves around in search of the perfect spot – full of sunlight or good times and free of drafts or difficult times.
We each require a certain amount of nurturing, encouragement, and love to grow, to thrive, and to bloom. And, what a blessing it truly is when we have loved ones and friends who make the effort to ensure we are tended to and cared for.
And when our lives experience great change, we, like the orchid, may need an adjustment period to adapt and accept our new circumstances.
So, if you are experiencing a change in life or even if you are busy in day to day living, why not take care of yourself as you would a beloved orchid?
Search for your place of comfort…..tend to your needs…..be your biggest supporter and encourager…..allow your loved ones and friends to care for you…..give yourself time to adapt…..look closely for and celebrate your new buds or accomplishments…..and, above all, please give yourself grace and be kind to yourself…..
You, my friend, will persevere! You will bloom beautifully again!
For you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. But let perseverance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:3-4
rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. Romans 12:12
(In the picture above, the family photo on the right is the Staton family reunion in May 2019. The family photo on the left is our Christmas morning of 2019.)