Together on the Journey:
A Weekly Blog
We did it everyone! We made it to May. Soon enough, the weather will be warmer, the days longer, and the promise of summer will loom in the air.
There have been signs everywhere that Spring is actually here. Not fake Spring, but real Spring. The buds on the trees are bigger everyday, the robins are building their nests, the cardinals are calling to one another, and the tulips are blooming (at least the ones that the squirrels haven’t chopped off at the head).
And this week, one of the biggest signs of Spring, at least in my neighbourhood, started to take hold: the cherry blossoms are here.
As someone who lives on the west side of Toronto, I have a complicated relationship with cherry blossom season. I love the trees themselves, they are absolutely stunning, but the crowds they bring are next level. For at least a week, the traffic is insane, and I tend to avoid High Park in order to avoid the masses of people all clamouring for that perfect photo with the perfect tree.
When I was serving at a different church a few years ago, I used to bike through High Park to get there, often early in the morning. And during cherry blossom week, it didn’t matter if it was 7am or earlier, there were people taking photos. Sometimes there were even people doing professional photo shoots, or people taking photos in elaborate costumes as the sun came up.
And there is nothing wrong with taking photos, and there is nothing wrong with trying to get the perfect photo. But as the sun came up over cherry blossom hill in High Park, I would often get off my bike and marvel at just how gorgeous God’s creation can be. And I couldn’t help but wonder if those taking photos were actually taking this in, or just trying to take a photo that would never do this moment justice.
It’s the same feeling I had several years ago when I was visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I didn’t want to take any pictures because I knew that they would never do justice to what was actually before my eyes. So instead, I breathed, and marvelled, and experienced an awe I have never felt the exact same way again. The beauty of God’s creation was before me, and I did my best to just be with it in the moment.
And so this week, as Spring makes itself known all around us, I invite you to stop and just be with it in the moment. If you love cherry blossoms (and don’t mind crowds), then go to High Park, but don’t go to take pictures, go just to be with the trees. See, smell, and feel all of your senses come alive. And as you marvel at the trees, remember to give God thanks for the beauty of their creation. Amen.
– Jess