Blessed are those who volunteer to make the world a more beautiful place. It seems to be a rarity in this increasingly harsh world we call home.

Smoke from those terrible Canadian wildfires hangs over southern Ohio like a wet wool blanket. I was off work a little early yesterday and had packed my hiking bag only to realize the air quality was unsafe for prolonged outdoor activity.

So I came home to do some inside chores and ventured outside long enough to water and deadhead a few flowers. I was struck by how pretty this patch of volunteer flowers is in the edge of my yard. While I work so hard to convince others to grow, these little ladies thrive even though they are basically ignored.

Then there are these beauties. We call them Flags. They are orange Day Lilies that go by many aliases including Tiger Lily, Corn Lily, Fourth of July Lily and even Ditch Lily.

They grow prolifically along southern Ohio roadsides and are striking in that environment. In a flower bed, though, they are downright invasive. I have spent hours of my life attempting to dig them out of flower beds but it seems to only make them multiply.

Did I mention that I have never planted the first one?

All the same, they are beautiful and I’m grateful for the softness they bring to an otherwise heavy, smoky day. Blessed are these volunteers for they make our world better simply through their existence.