I don’t have a green thumb.  But I have two orchids that I’ve managed to keep alive.  One was a gift from a wonderful Christian Education Director I worked with in 2015 (Little Baby Orchid) and the other was a housewarming gift from my mother when I moved to Colchester in 2017 (Big Mama Orchid.)  Is it strange to name orchids?  Yes, probably.  But I’d like to think that because I have genuine affection for Little Baby Orchid and Big Mama Orchid it’s kept them not only alive, but thriving.  

Orchids are notoriously fickle.  It takes months or even years for them to re-bloom.  And unless you properly care for them, they never will!  There was a funny New Yorker cartoon about the complexities of orchid care that listed out some steps.  They included: don’t deprive the orchid of sunlight, don’t bombard the orchid with too much sunlight, don’t touch the orchid, don’t look at the orchid, don’t ask the orchid why it’s mad, and don’t forget to take the orchid out every once in a while (to a movie or something) to show that you’re making an effort! 

Little Baby Orchid is thriving and she re-blooms often.  I even had to buy a bigger pot for her because she outgrew her original home!  Big Mama Orchid, on the other hand, has only re-bloomed once.  Though after many months, she’s about to again.  I haven’t tried to anchor her spikes too much and have just let her do her thing.  Because somewhere along the way it dawned on me that Big Mama Orchid was stretching out further and further toward the window, toward the light.  And that both fascinated and moved me. 

For we remember the words of the Psalmist, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”  (Psalm 27:1)  We are encouraged to keep stretching and growing, to keep seeking the light.  For God is our light and our salvation, why should we be afraid?   

Love,
Pastor Lauren

(This Week’s Thoughts 2.21.19)

Photo by Rev. Lauren Lorincz.