I think my favourite time of year is cherry blossom season.  Here, in Victoria, this usually occurs in early March, although in most places in Canada it is a little slower to arrive. For me, this is a hopeful time – a time when winter gives way to spring and the beauty of new growth hints at warmer weather to come.  It is also a reminder that seasons of rain must precede seasons of beauty… that there can’t be new growth without the dark clouds and rain.  In many ways, we are like the flowers… we grow and change during stormy times in our lives and then our lives blossom with joy again.  I have found that there is an ebb and flow to our lives just as there is in nature… we experience joy and pain during different seasons of our lives, sometimes suffering through dark times, later emerging stronger and better than before.

Delicate Petals
-By Krista Longeway

Nothing compares to the cherry tree’s grace
Whose blossoms adorn branches, fine as lace.
Delicate petals float down from the trees 
While long thin branches sway in the spring breeze.
Filling my senses with their sweet perfume
That drifts up gently from every bloom.
Like small pink snowflakes they fall to the ground
And pool at my feet, not making a sound.
A gentle reminder that each new day
Nature offers up a wondrous display.
That despite the dark clouds, we need the rain
To make our lives blossom with joy again.