Spring has sprung!

The first day of spring was March 21st. Did anyone feel the "spring"? I sure do :o) I feel the longer days and the warmth of the sun. Most of all, I love the fact that it's sunny when I leave for work and it's still sunny when I leave work. It's great! I know this is greatly due to daylight savings but it only happens in Spring :o) And one of my favorite smells in the world is the smell of cherry blossoms. It's my favorite season! What a beautiful time of year!!!

This is my post to welcome in spring!


Tee hee! - and of course there's Easter.


Here's a tid-bit of information. Cherry blossoms are one of my favorite things in the world and so looked up the symbolism of the flower. The Chinese and Japanese symbolism for this is very different.


For the Chinese the cherry blossom is a very significant symbol of power. Typically it represent a feminine beauty and sexuality and often holds an idea of power or feminine dominance. Within the language of herbs and herbal lore of the Chinese the cherry blossom is often the symbol of love.

For the Japanese the cherry blossom holds very different meaning. The cherry blossom is a very delicate flower that blooms for a very short time. For the Japanese this represents the transience of life. This concept ties in very deeply with the fundamental teachings of Buddhism that state all life is suffering and transitory. The Japanese have long held strong to the Buddhist belief of the transitory nature of life and it is very noble to not get too attached to a particular outcome or not become emotional because it will all pass in time.

The fallen cherry blossom is not taken lightly in Japanese symbolism either. It often represents the beauty of snow and there are many connections made in Japanese literature or poetry to a fallen cherry blossom and snow. This also has been extended to the life of a warrior whose life was ended early in battle.