Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin, April 2011

I am breathless every spring at the beauty and abundance of the blossoming trees in the Washington, DC, area.

I sometimes wonder why I continue to take pictures of, essentially, the same trees and scenes year after year, when one season's photos could easily stand in for the next and no one would be the wiser. I think it's because each spring is a revelation, a novelty, the beginning of an endeavor that's never been taken on in quite that way before. It's an affirmation of life and resilience and sunshine and possibilities. Each spring's blossoms are therefore unique, precious, and exhilarating, completely worthy of their own photos.



When Angie came from New York to visit me a couple of weekends ago, we spent a little time walking around the National Arboretum, which I hadn't ever visited. Her two dogs were in heaven, trying to take in all the smells at break-neck speed, all senses alert for any sign of squirrels. We didn't stay too long due to weather and doggie allergies, but while there, we did spot the lovely cherry tree above with dark reddish-purple blossoms, and the flocked masterpiece below.



The word that comes to mind when I see these pictures is resplendent. God's creations are resplendent, and year after year, season after season, the splendid beauty and newness of spring never fades.

When another winter comes, dreary and cold and barren, I will look at these photos and those of blossoms past, and be reminded of this spring, these blossoms, that new life that arose from ground and branch. I'll be carried through long, dark winter nights by dreams of new, fresh blossoms in a brand new spring to come.