One thing I am pleasantly surprised is how cheap orchid plants are in this country. A couple of months ago, I bought a gorgeous blooming one in the supermarket for £15.

I had many weeks of it gracing my drawing room with its lovely flowers. The plant had the place of pride on my dining table.

And then the flowers came to the end of their season. They dried up slowly and fell off the plant. The leaves were still green and healthy looking, but the it no longer looked stunning. I lost interest in it and put it out in the garden, out of sight.

“Don’t do that, Jac,” my mum chided me. “That’s when it needs taking care of most.”

She took the plant back to her house and fed it with her special nutrients. It now lives in my mum’s sunny kitchen, amongst her other orchids. “I will take care of it for you,” she said. “Until it blooms again.”

As orchids, we human beings need love most when we are being at our most unlovable:

Children, when they are angry and throw tantrums, that’s when they need to be loved, hugged, and reassured most. Adults, when they lash out with angry words, that’s when the frightened broken children in them need to be loved most.

Thank you, Ma, for teaching me yet another valuable lesson in life ❤