Hope Comes in the Midst of Cherry Blossom Blooms

Spring has sprung, and with it have come thick blankets of pollen, the annual nesting of our favorite thrasher family under the eaves of our back deck, and copious amounts of cherry blossoms – that ephemeral bloom that has inspired ceremonies and celebrations around the world for millennia.

In Japan, where they are recognized as a national flower, cherry blossoms are (according to Wikipedia) seen as “an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life,” and their “exquisite beauty and volatility” make them apt for artistic allusions to mortality.

I get it – probably more than any Wikipedia editor realizes. The blooming of our two cherry blossom trees is one of my favorite things about spring. At their peak, they look like clouds come down to earth, snowflakes dancing in the slightest of breezes. But that beauty lasts only for a few weeks, and then comes the volatility. What was once beautiful becomes a constant irritant. Their petals get ... Continue reading here.