I own four peace lily plants. They are not as easy to keep alive as one might think. A friend once suggested I take the roots out of the soil and place the plant in a vase filled with water. So now, two remain planted in soil and two sit in water. All of them, somehow, are surviving.
One of the glass vases has become covered with hard water stains from constant refilling and evaporation. It leaves the vase cloudy and, honestly, a bit ugly. But in the middle of the mess, I discovered something unexpected: a beautiful white bloom. I stopped and stared. How had I missed it?
In the messiest of circumstances, beauty bloomed.
I feel like that plant more often than I would like to admit. I’ve carried the label of ‘high maintenance,” not unlike that vase needing attention. Life has tainted my perspective with stains that leave life less than clear. And in the middle of it all, it can be easy to believe that beauty is nowhere to be found.
It reminds me of the time I discovered little green plants growing out of a runoff spot on the cement. No soil. Barely any sunlight. Still they grew. I had to take a second look at the concrete garden just to be sure. Life had found a way to thrive in a place that offered almost nothing.
Both scenes have stayed with me.
Because the truth is, none of us grows in perfect conditions. We all face challenges that press against us–situations that feel unfair, uncomfortable, or simply not what we would have chosen. Yet, somehow, those very conditions can shape something meaningful within us. Compassion. Empathy. Gratitude. Forgiveness.
Beauty, just in a different form than we expected.
The little concrete garden growing in such a bleak environment and the peace lily thriving in a water stained vase issued me a quiet challenge. What am I going to let stop me from thriving? And, maybe more importantly, where is beauty already trying to bloom that I’ve overlooked?