The Orchid Journal

Photo by Laelia Watt Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it . Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) Before you berate me for likening your complex, precious child to a four legged animal covered in hair, bear with me for a moment. I ask you, what is your purpose in being a parent? I'm sure when you first held that darling squiggle in your arms, you went into raptures about loving them 'til the day you die. You swore to give them everything that is best for them and nothing that is bad, and, unlike your parents who sent you into counseling because of their egregious mistakes, you knew you'd be the bestest, most lovingest parent that ever graced the earth. Then the sleepless nights sapped your energy. The throw-up on your favorite couch and Cheerios crunched into your briefcase were slightly discouraging, but, you thought, you are unfazed by a few setbacks. Soon, with maybe more than one little bundle growing bigger and more headstrong ...

Photo by Laelia Watt How many snow storms raged through the ages and how many snowflakes within them fell? They say every snowflake is unique, a result of the droplets freezing in unending combination of patterns. I watched a documentary about the man named Wilson Bentley who spent his life photographing individual snowflakes under a microscope. He was born in 1865 and captured his first snowflake in 1885. Before his death in 1931, he accumulated 5,000 images of the delicate frozen structures. God filled the winter sky with countless snowflakes which melt in an instant, and yet he bothered to make each one a messenger of beauty. Despite that a majority of their tiny forms would go unnoticed and it is impossible to appreciate each one that falls from the sky, the Lord still took the time to form them in rare patterns. My 28th birthday is tomorrow. As it approaches, I ponder the knowledge that God delights in creating each person unlike any other. I am one of billions that...