Yes, it is cherry blossom again.
I well remember the same time last year, we have just arrived. I had not started work yet, the kids were just starting school, and my wife had just started work. There were so much worries, so much uncertainty, so much that was beyond our grip. There was so much that could go wrong. I anticipated that things would get worse before any better, and I was right.
Since I had not yet started working, I spent the day ferrying the kids back and forth from school; and did most of the house work. During the day, I would spend most of the time watching the tv, since there wasn't much to do. I did notice a bald, small tree in the tiny garden that we had, and wasn't sure what tree it was. Then one day, it suddenly burst out in a beautiful blossom of pink and cherry. Of course, it was a cherry tree. The cherry blossom was breathtaking.
And with the cherry blossom, the weather started to turn warm, the sun came out earlier and set later, and life looked as though it would get better. "Yes, this time next year," I remember telling myself then, "life will be better."
Well, as a family we did go through some very challenging time over the past 12 months. The kids were depressed, especially my daughter. She missed her friends tremendously. My wife's job was more challenging than she thought. And my days fluctuated from deeply depressing ones, to nail-biting anxious days, and exhaustingly tiring ones. The first six months was tough for all of us. We had worries on all fronts - work, finances, friends, church, spiritual life, even basic things like finding a place to stay for the family.
We ploughed on. And in the midst of all these, God has been tremendously faithful. He has done more than we could ever asked or dreamed of. Through the last 12 months He has worked miracles after miracles in our lives - from big things to the tiniest details, He has not left us out of His sight for even one thousandth of a second.
And then, it is cherry blossom again.
As life gradually turns for the better, it is easy to forget how tough it was at the beginning. It is even easier to forget how much God has done for us. But I am reminded by the cherry blossom - that life is better because God has held us in His hand; He has held us as though we were the apple of His eye.
Praise you, Lord, for the cherry blossom. Praise you, Lord, for all that you have done for us.
