Submitted by Sr Teresa fcJ from Calgary Sacred Heart community.
A pot of six or seven little chrysanthemum plants with bright, yellow flowers continued to show signs of life for some months. Eventually, all but one plant died. That little survivor appreciated frequent watering and after a time produced a new bloom. What an example of “bloom where you’re planted”, develop your own gifts and brighten the lives of those around you.
Perhaps one could look at the pot and see the majority of the surface as dead dirt but the little living plant brings much light and joy to those “with eyes to see”. A YouTube video from Euronews.culture presents a story from four years ago of a young artist named Sasha Anisimova who used images of her hometown Kharkiv in rubble and drew scenes of ordinary, peaceful life over those painful images.
A recent example is to be found on CBC News Saskatchewan: How finding beauty in the rubble helped these wildfire victims heal. The text is as follows. “Jan Modler and her friend, Donna Champagne, lost their homes a year ago (in 2025) when flames blew through Birch Lake and Denare Beach in northern Saskatchewan. Remnants of their life, found in the rubble, now form a new art exhibit. ‘Transformed by Fire’ opened at the Legislative Building on Monday and is on display until July 1.”
Another interesting article on the web is by Brent N. Hunter written on January 12, 2026. Finding Beauty Amidst the Rubble: A Journey of Hope and Resilience. The author begins with these words, “In a world shadowed by pain, conflict, and uncertainty, the act of creating beauty might seem like a fragile endeavor. Yet, it is precisely in the depths of hardship that beauty shines brightest.” He gives the example of an explosion in Beirut that could have silenced life forever. Instead, people built murals over crumbling walls.
I believe that often we just need to observe life around us more closely to find signs of goodness and beauty coming from ugliness, peace from strife. The courage of people who have experienced destruction and yet can produce something beautiful is truly inspiring.
