Be an ice cube - STAT

The Alli Orchid

This orchid was given to me by my daughter, Alli, for Mother's Day 2013. It is delicate, beautiful and strong. A lot like my daughter. She is small, fine boned and beautiful but she has a great inner strength. For this plant it is a good thing because my neglect tried to kill this beautiful plant.  I placed it where it would be safe from dogs, rowdy boys and the craziness of our life. Alli said she was told to just put an ice cube in it once a week or maybe it was every day. I can't really remember and I am sure I probably never got the story straight to begin with. I am that way with plant life. I defer. I defer to my husband, my friend Ingrid, basically anyone that will take the responsibility away from me. I might have forgotten to delegate this life form to Joe that day, although to my defense he should know me well enough to know all plant gifts are his responsibility, really. My history with plants, as with this orchid unfortunately is not a good one.

I can raise kids. I can raise pets. I can raise a ruckus but please don't ask me to raise plants. It is for the plant's benefit, really. Maybe I lack patience to understand the delicate needs of individual plants. Maybe I lack the gifts needed to take care of these plants. Maybe I secretly could care less about plants. (eek, that may be too close to the truth.) Now before you think I am some warped psychopath, let me qualify that idea. I love to eat vegetables, I like looking at flowers and I really appreciate the way certain flowers make my yard look. There is nothing like a surprise gift of the occasional bouquet. So I have a love for all things flora in some way or another. I just don't love the care and feeding of something that can't hug back.

By the time Joe found the orchid it appeared to be dead. A lone stick, sticking out of the small green, plastic pot it came in, carefully stashed on top of the china hutch in the dining room. (Did I mention rowdy boys and pets?) I felt awful and said, maybe we should get an ice cube STAT! Joe lovingly told me the whole ice cube ship had sailed. This orchid was going to need a Messiah-like resurrection. As you can tell from the picture above, that is what it got! Joe Mowdy put the stick, pot and all in the window (who knew sun was need for plants???) and some actual water of the non-frozen variety. He gave the week stick some stability by allowing it to lean on a real stick. Joe's nurturing attention resurrected the beautiful orchid. 

I may not resurrect near dead plants, but I pray that in my humanness I can be the one that brings moisture to an arid soul. The one that provided stability to one tossing in the wind, brings the light into darkness. We can all be that for someone. Are you?

As Christians, Luke reports that Jesus tells us to do "more" than required for others. And to not take more than we need from others. (Luke 3:10-11) Jesus had a pattern of urging us to feed people, care for them, teach them - show love. 

I am going to go out on a limb here and say all of us, at one time or another, have been the stick in the pot, clinging to life with what little inner resources we have remaining. Maybe there are a few of you that have never needed someone else... I hope not. I really feel if we are honest we have. I have. More than once I have had to rely on others. Maybe in expertise. Thank goodness there are autism experts and medical people to help navigate that maze in our lives. (Thank you Dawn and Dr. Lyst) Sometimes in sheer support. God brought Joe into my life at the perfect time. The first year we were married I lost my Grandmother, my Mother and almost my life in a cancer related health crisis. Sometimes the best support I receive is in accountability. I have friends that call me on it when I am fooling myself. (And a daughter, Thank you Jill) The list of Monica supporters is endless. There was a time when I felt that relying on others was a sign of weakness. (OK, friends I still feel that way, I know!) But a good friend once told me, "Monica, when you try to do everything yourself, you are keeping another from fulfilling their calling as a Christian."

Yes, we are all called to do something, more, for others. So in community we lean and we support. We take and we give. We love and we are loved. It is in these actions we hold in tension the balance of life in Christ. 

The result.... beauty.