We're taking a moment to enjoy peak cherry blossom season!
After a few Spring showers, the skies are clearing again and we're finding ourselves awash with peak blooms everywhere. Although each bloom has its own story, we've been enjoying reading some of the ones related to the cherry blossom's history in the U.S.
During the late 1800s, Americans were starting to explore more of the natural wonders on the West Coast, including the recently annexed Alaska Purchase. Great explorers such as John Muir were partnering with the U.S. government to preserve outdoor beauty so that future generations could also enjoy them.
One of those explorers was Eliza Scidmore, an American travel journalist who frequently visited Japan and developed a deep respect for the country's culture and people. As Washington D.C. started to emerge as a great city, Eliza found an ally in First Lady Taft and Eliza's visions of creating a cherry blossom park in D.C. came to life in 1912.
The original cherry blossoms in D.C. were a gift from the Japanese to the American government, and the act was followed by meaningful symbolic gestures between both countries. In the 1980s, the cycle of giving and preservation continued when a river flooded a cherry tree grove in Japan and the U.S. was able to help replenish those trees using cuttings from the trees in D.C. that were gifted from Japan a few decades ago.
The history of cherry blossoms is rich with meaning and shows how they can act as an agent of friendship, restoration and growth. We created our cherry blossom-inspired note in part with friendship in mind. This Spring season, we hope you can use these notes to commemorate your own special relationships and use them as a gesture of kindness and friendship.
*This post was originally published in our April 2024 newsletter. To directly receive our monthly inspirations for writing with joy, subscribe here.
