Lady of the Lichen

My daughter has always loved being in the woods.  She heard from her aunt that Alaska has thick moss that is spongy when one walks on it, and she was excited to get to see it.  Our hike in Chugach State Park near Anchorage, Alaska did not disappoint. 

Earlier in the week we learned that lichen was an important part of the Alaskan ecosystem, and is the primary food source for caribou and other animals in the winter.  While hiking in Chugach State Park we saw a large build-up of rocks with lichen on them in various shades of green and yellow.  The scene was something you might see in a Tinkerbell movie.  It was beautiful, and my daughter said she had seen something like this in her dreams.  As she climbed among the lichen-covered construct, she happily declared herself to be “Lady of the Lichen.” 

It is interesting to know that lichen is formed in a symbiotic relationship between algae, fungae, and cyanobacterium.  It grows over large numbers of surfaces using the underlying plants and rocks as a substrate, usually causing no harm.  It is an example of how successful life can be when it cooperates with others, in balance with neighbors around them.  We could learn something from lichen.

What if we lived in such harmony with others around us?  How vast and how powerful would the people of God be if they worked alongside each other in unity.  What if we sacrifically gave ourselves to others as this vast expanse of lichen does with caribou and other animals in the winter?  The majesty of this kind of unity would truly be a dream come true.