Cherry blossoms and hope

It's almost two years ago now. We arrived in Washington DC as the cherry trees that line the Potomac had burst into bloom.

We had no idea that the city was in the middle of its annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. We had no idea of the scale that the statement “the cherry trees are in bloom” signified. We had no idea that people from all over the world visit DC every year to marvel at the blooms, welcome spring and share this incredible event. Basically we had no idea how lucky we were to just happen to be in DC that weekend!

We learnt that the trees were a gift from Japan, given as a symbol of their friendship with the USA.

As the heart-breaking events have unfolded in Japan, one of the first things I thought about were those cherry trees. I’ve now learnt that the Japanese revere the flowering cherry tree. For them the beauty of a cherry blossom represents how fleeting life is. I’ve read that they track the blooming of the cherry blossom as it moves through Japan each spring. People flock to parks and temples to celebrate the blossoming and hold flower-viewing parties.  

Spring is on its way in the northern hemisphere. The cherry trees will have begun to blossom in Japan, offering a little piece of beauty among the chaos. I hope that they give the Japanese hope and remind them that they will rebuild the life they know. 

x

(Images: Washington DC - PPT)