What's the point in flowers?

The world is a busy place and we are bombarded with information. Sometimes it's important to take a step back and breathe. My recent operation has given me time to reflect on what happening in the world. One of my questions is: with everything else going on, are flowers actually important any more? Obviously there's the biological need for them in plant reproduction, but are they still relevant to us beyond that? Many people seem happy enough with artificial flowers. These days, you're more likely to see artificial flowers in restaurants, hotels and shop windows than real ones. I can see the point in them in these settings where the need for impact, showiness and longevity outweighs authenticity. 

Real flowers take effort. They need soil and water and sunshine. They take skill to protect, nurture and grow. They are arranged and given with love before being cared for and enjoyed until ultimately they die. The point about real flowers is that they are alive and that they are temporary. They are for the now. They are a reminder of the beauty of life, and that we must value it while we have the chance. At the end of my Dad's life, admiring and smelling flowers became one of the last joyful things we did together.

Flowers are often with us at important moments in our lives, such as birthdays, weddings and funerals, and I think they help us to punctuate these moments so that we take notice of them. If you receive flowers this Mother's Day, I hope they help you to slow down and celebrate the day and to feel close to those that gave them to you. To love flowers is to be alive. Happy Mother's Day!