This week as I walked along Spring Creek, I learned about a native Pennsylvania wildflower–the red trillium. These don’t last long in the spring, and it’s illegal in some places to pick them. They die very quickly if you do. To me, they seem so beautiful but also rather fragile and almost unnoticeable unless you’re really looking. Sometimes the lights and shadows of all the surrounding trees make red trillium fade to the background.
I learned that the red trillium depend upon ants to disperse their seeds for more trillium to grow. Red trillium don’t smell the best; they don’t attract the more powerful or visible creatures like birds or larger animals. Instead, they live quietly and humbly, depending only upon largely unseen little ants for their continued growth on the forest floor.
I enjoyed gazing upon the red trillium and what she represents as her own kind of flower: nearly hidden and dependent on the smallest things for future growth. Sometimes our life and work won’t be loud and large and attractive to the masses. Sometimes, we stay quiet and humble alongside others.