The One Who Created it All

As I write this, my husband and I are enjoying a much anticipated visit with our son and daughter-in-law in the States. I came prepared to enjoy warmer days, having left behind piles of snow and freezing weather with great pleasure. Let’s face it, living through Ontario winters makes it very easy to seek sunshine that feeds buds on trees, encourages birds to express their morning wake-up call—much to the chagrin of some!— and makes sitting in a pool of sunshine a welcome treat. I think by now you know that the winter season can’t end soon enough for me, and since March 20th has said goodbye to Winter, I’m quite happy to say goodbye to snow storms, ice and freezing temperatures.

Now, having said that, I have to admit that being an habitual early riser, dark wintry mornings do bring me some element of pleasure despite my antipathy to winter. A mug of chai tea with whipped cream and cinnamon, a blanket over my legs for added warmth, a small dish of walnuts to appease the growling in my stomach, my devotional books and Bible, and my day could not begin any better!

But winter is over, and although I still maintain my morning ritual, I am happy to welcome the promise of spring especially after a walk around the tidal basin of the Potomac River during the peak days of the Cherry Blossom season. And that is where we found ourselves in the warmth of a spring afternoon on Thursday in the midst of a flurry of people, seemingly from every nation and, quite possibly, every creed. From sophisticated cameras with extended lenses to camera tripods or handheld phones, there was seldom a moment when we did not have to pause, walk around, or apologize for intruding as we made our way around the two- mile path. Chirping birds flittering throughout the trees, baby carriages carrying sleeping babes, toddling children trying to keep up with adult steps, and a variety of dogs that most likely would have preferred the shade of a tree over the afternoon sun, continued to cross our path. And, of course, there were countless teens and adults dodging us as we made our way along the path. One young person wearing a Blue Jays t-shirt got an unexpected high-five from our son, resulting in a smile and chuckle from both of them!

Despite the numerous helicopters flying overhead, the Thomas Jefferson and George Washington Monuments, and the White House and Capital seen at a distance, the highlight of the afternoon for me was the beauty of the trees. It was as though I was passing through a soft, continuous cloud, hovering just above my head. Sometimes I had to duck at low-hanging branches. Other times I took a wide birth to accommodate the crowd. And when I looked back across the water to the path we had just covered, the site left me with one simple word: Wow! I tried to imagine what it would be like if one could block out all human presence and drink in the beauty, almost reverently. I recall saying to my son, “I wonder what it would be like to walk through this at midnight. (Of course, I was thinking of the solitude!) His response: “It would be dark!” And the spell was broken!

Being a Canadian, I do not have the knowledge of American history, but through a reliable source (https://www.history.com/), I can share what I have learned about the who/what/when/where/how/ and why of the cherry trees.

• The planting of Japanese cherry trees along the Potomac was first proposed by socialite Eliza Scidmore, who raised money for the endeavour. Helen Taft had lived in Japan while her husband was president of the Philippine Commission, and knowing the beauty of cherry blossoms she embraced Scidmore’s idea. After learning of the first lady’s interest, the Japanese consul in New York suggested making a gift of the trees to the U.S. government from the city of Tokyo.
• In January 1910, 2,000 Japanese cherry trees arrived in Washington from Japan but had fallen prey to disease during the journey. In response, a private Japanese citizen donated the funds to transport a new batch of trees, and 3,020 specimens were taken from the famous collection on the bank of the Arakawa River in Adachi Ward, a suburb of Tokyo. In March 1912, the trees arrived in Washington, and on March 27 the first two trees were planted along the Potomac River’s Tidal Basin in a formal ceremony. The rest of the trees were then planted along the basin, in East Potomac Park, and on the White House grounds.
• The blossoming trees proved immediately popular with visitors to Washington’s Mall area, and in 1934 city commissioners sponsored a three-day celebration of the late March blossoming of the trees, which grew into the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. After World War II, cuttings from Washington’s cherry trees were sent back to Japan to restore the Tokyo collection that was decimated by American bombing attacks during the war.
• [I noticed that we celebrate our wedding anniversary on the same date the first two trees were planted!]

This is a beautiful moment in history for the American nation., but please indulge me for a moment as I propose a further thought to the who/what/ when/where/how/and why of the cherry trees:

“Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.’
And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
Genesis 1: 11-12

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“Praise the LORD, my soul.
LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent…

He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth…

The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the junipers…

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.”

Psalm 104: 1-2, 14, 16-17, 24

No matter where you find yourself during the birthing of this new spring season, may I encourage you to look to the heavens and offer praise and thanks to the One who created it all!