Was It the Blossoms or the People?
The annual cherry blossom festival in D.C. drew 1.5 million spectators who “oohed and awed” and marveled at the tiny, detailed pink and white works of the Master Creator. I can’t imagine how many photos were captured in just the one peak day we visited.
A few years ago, another photographer friend and I braved the crowds to join in the excitement. While she focused on the profusely blooming flowers, I decided to sneakily capture images of people either taking or posing for photos. As a self-proclaimed obsessive people-watcher, I found it to be a fascinating few hours. I was mesmerized.
My husband and I walked around the Tidal Basin, taking it all in. More times than I can count, Mike stopped to ask families or couples if they would like him to take their photo. No one declined. They were all very gracious and appreciative. We struck up several conversations with tourists visiting from all over the world. That’s when it dawned on me. Far more significant than the exquisite beauty of the cherry blossoms was the sight of the world coming together in awe and celebration of God’s creation.
A group of girlfriends snapping selfies while sitting on the concrete wall; a family from Japan corralling two lively littles; soon-to-be eight-year-old Corrine, a bubbly little girl with special needs, and her parents and younger sister in town for the weekend because this is where she wanted to celebrate her birthday; two women donning hijabs, eager to show us their four felines, who didn’t seem interested in the flowers at all, but rather appeared to be planning their escape route from their leashes and strollers; a beautiful young woman celebrating her quinceañera; a cellist recording a video; and a few artists engaging their imaginations as they sketched and painted the scenes around them.
Complete strangers engaging in conversations, eager to share their stories with others meandering the walkways, pausing to take it all in. Some offer to take family photos, share a smile, clear the walkway for strollers, stop in their tracks to allow a photo op to be completed, or assist a wheelchair up a ramp. The only commonality among many of these encounters is the simple fact that they happened to be in D.C. during the cherry blossom festival at the same time.
A rare opportunity to observe the blooms and capture vibrant photos is perhaps more than meets the eye. Could it also be a divine orchestration to restore our faith in humanity and provide a chance to experience kindness and goodness with those who don’t look or live like us?
Indeed, the cherry blossoms were a delight, as were the people from numerous nations who gathered to enjoy a Sunday afternoon in D.C., knowingly or perhaps unaware they were “declaring the glory of the Lord.”
