Washington DC in the spring time is a stunningly beautiful place to live. Flowers, trees and bushes bloom from late winter to mid-summer. I grew up in Michigan and hadn’t seen the likes of cherry trees, dogwoods, and crape myrtles until I moved here nearly 20 years ago.
The cherry tree gets a lot of publicity and even has its own festival each year! If you are in DC for the festival this week, you will have missed the cherry blossoms by a couple of weeks, but can enjoy the gracious and attractive dogwood blossoms.
The cherry blossoms are breath taking and they signal the coming of spring. But for me, it has always been the dogwood that has captured my attention. I think it is nearly the last tree to bloom. It is the flower that I love. .” I see it in my neighborhood, on the B-W parkway, and as I drive into the city. It sits there quietly. By the end of the week, the flowers will give way to green leaves that will eventually fall to the ground in the fall.
The branches of the dogwood grow in such a way that the bloom seems to be offered as a gift to those who gaze upon its beauty. Each flower has four distinct petals and a center. To me, the tree is gently offering all of its beauty this time of year. It’s as if it is saying, “Here is my best and it is for you.”
A little like God the Father did for us, offering his best – Jesus – for us and to us. Or should I say for me and for each of you. During this Holy Week, I can enjoy the gift of the dogwood, quietly offering its gift, asking those of us who are too busy to slow down for a minute and enjoy the beauty of one of God’s creations.
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