Embracing New Growth through Cherry Blossoms

Let’s not forget that life is continuing after Japan’s tragedy.  It is now officially spring and the start of the Cherry Blossom Festival there and in other parts of the world.

The return of spring is a reminder of renewal.

In nature, and in life, much has died and fallen away over the last several months.  Now more light and new growth returns.

I started growing seedlings for my vegetable garden last month and for the first few weeks after I planted the little seeds I waited in anticipation.  I had never done this before and didn’t know if anything would come forth from the deep rich soil.

I bought full spectrum lights, gave a lot of healing energy to the flower boxes and held my breath.

Would this work?  Did I do it right?  Should I have done more preparation?

Finally, one day, the beans, tomatoes and basil plants, with their teeny tiny green stems and leaves started popping forth.  It was such a happy day.  They were birthing themselves into the world and I experienced a similar feeling to when I brought my kittens home from the shelter:  pride and joy and a sense of being responsible for nurturing their lives.

Motivated and inspired by my initial efforts, I intend to buy a cherry tree to plant in my backyard Zen sanctuary in remembrance of Japan, it’s people, and also in gratitude to it for being the birthplace of Reiki which I teach and share in the world.

The importance of moving forward through any kind of crisis, which is a loss on a grand scale, is to acknowledge the wide range of emotions associated with the grief process and then, if possible, come to a level of some kind of acceptance or peace within.

Like many, I’ve gone through the shock, anger, depression, and a bit of bargaining that often comes with loss.

Grief is an internal process, and each individual affected by the loss will go through it in a different manner.

We held a Reiki circle last night.  I got to play with my favorite Reiki gal, Jordyn who is a confident and brassy 4 year old.  She brought a lot of healing to the circle and to my heart.  Children are beautiful .  Like plants, trees, kittens, they require attention, nurturing and love to grow and thrive.

Planting a tree will be another new experience for me, but I’m confident that as the days, months and years go by, this cherry tree will blossom forth and be a significant reminder of this time in the world and my own life in helping bring renewal and hope back into the world and to Japan.