This Will Not Last (and This is Wonderful)

Two years ago, it was glorious. The Weeping Cherry bloomed in full. That bloom is what I've waited for all year.

It's here now! This moment! Today!

Sadly, the blooms explode on the very day the forecast calls for wind and rain. In fact, the rain falls even now. We're going to lose these blooms.

But guess what? This is OK. Cherry blossoms grow in beauty in proportion to how fleeting they are. The Japanese concept of the transient and the fleeting make cherry blossoms have special importance and beauty. They remind us to treasure the small moment that will not last. Cherry blossoms insist on this; they make this appreciation happen.

(I did want to picnic under them--like the Japanese do--but this year, the rain will keep us inside.)

And while I am delighting in this single day of blossoms, I also know this after four years of springtime blogging: the loss of blooms brings green foliage that houses the Robin's nest and the Secret Fort.

Every bit is wonderful, and I treasure these small moments that will not last.