Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Every Monday morning, LDS Philanthropies gathers for a devotional to start the week off. It's one of the blessings of working for the Church. This week, it was my turn to share. Here it is for those who are bored and have time to read it. Pardon any errors--I didn't go over it with a fine-toothed comb!


Sakura or cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and blooms in late March/early April. It is one of the most anticipated events in Japan, as hundreds of thousands of people gather at parks, temples, and shrines for flower-viewing parties called hanami (which literally means, “to see flowers”). A centuries-old tradition, hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the sakura and for many are a chance to relax in nature. In the springtime, the Japanese Meteorological Agency, the national weather source, reports the daily progress of the cherry blossoms each night as part of the evening news. It’s a time for vacations as the Japanese businessmen take time off from their traditional 12-14-hour long work days. It’s as if the entire country stops to take in this beautiful sight. Unfortunately, all the anticipation culminates in a very brief season that lasts only two or three weeks.

As missionaries, we were encouraged by our mission president and mother to take the time to experience this annual occasion with members and investigators. The first year I was in Japan, I happened to be serving in a very rural area where the blossoms were full and bright. I had never seen anything so breath-taking and moving. In many ways, it was surreal…like being in a dreamland. The second time around was about a month before my mission concluded. I was serving in the mission home located in downtown Tokyo. It was amazing to serve in such a densely-packed, vibrant city. 33 million people! It is simply skyscraper after skyscraper. It was equally amazing to see the change Tokyo assumed as it was covered with these cherry blossoms. The sakura would line the streets and pop out between large buildings. The city that never seemed to stop, actually paused for nature’s beauty. It was even more awe-inspiring this second year around.

The sakura have profound religious, philosophical, and literary meaning. To the people, they epitomize the Japanese concept of mono no aware—an acute awareness of the transience of things and a bittersweet sadness at their passing. The transience of the blossoms, their extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality. I thought about this a great deal on my mission and the years since, as there are several gospel parallels.

First, for me as a missionary, it represented that my full-time service was only for a short period of my life. For many, missions lay the foundation for their testimonies and future Church service. I was no exception. I truly cherished my time in Japan. Being in the service of others 24/7 was one of the greatest blessings on my life. Not a day passes by when I don’t think about lessons I learned from these two years. However much I wanted to postpone the inevitable, my mission was drawing to a close.

Second, our callings within the Church last but for a season. We never know how long we are to be in a certain Church position. Be it a nursery worker, scout leader, Young Women’s President, Gospel Doctrine teacher, Bishop or a Stake President, we know that we will eventually be released and asked to do something else. Each calling comes to us at different times and for different reasons. For most, the release is a mixture of feelings—joy for being able to serve, love for those in our stewardships, and a bitter sweetness knowing that we will never have these exact experiences again.

Third, we all have moments that we wish we could hold onto forever. Because He loves us more than we can comprehend, Heavenly Father blesses us with choice experiences that will always be etched in our minds and hearts. Each of us have had times that you wish could be replayed over and over again. As a father of two beautiful daughters, I am having these experiences every day. Tight hugs, kisses full of love, reading books, watching them twirl around like Princesses, and constant singing. Is there a better feeling than holding a sleeping baby? More than anything, I wish I could bottle these times up, so as to save them for days when I’ll be missing my girls. Yes, my daughters are only 2 and 1, and we have years and years of memories waiting to be created. Still, time is going by much way too quickly for my liking.

This is where a Gospel perspective makes all the difference. The sakura season lasts a mere three weeks. It comes and goes extremely quickly and upon its conclusion, the Japanese are forced to wait a year before this miracle transpires again. We’re lucky eternity is part of our equation. While things may appear to be fleeting, we have ever opportunity in the world to make them anything but. For example, missions and callings naturally have a start and an end; that doesn’t mean, however, that the impact of our service in finite. It’s the exact opposite. We can never tell what came as a result of being diligent with the time Heavenly Father gives us. Likewise, the moments we have can stay with us in this lifetime and the lifetime to come. We certainly have eternity on our side.

What can we do to better realize this lesson? We can simply make each day count. Each day is a precious gift from our Heavenly Father. That’s not something to be taken lightly. We should work hard, be prayerful, look for chances to serve others, and find joy in living. We should wake up with high expectations for ourselves and do everything within our power to fulfill them. We can take advantage of opportunities that come our way, or better yet, help create them for ourselves. It’s easy to go through life, doing just enough to get by from day to day. That’s when we need to put off “the natural man” and do a little bit more.

Here at LDS Philanthropies, we are part of a great work… a work that blesses the lives of both benefactor and beneficiary. Every one of us is an integral cog to the organization as a whole. Our efforts, if sincere and dedicated, can have eternal consequences for others. We should make each day a productive, fulfilling one here at work.

Elder Lance B. Wickman of the Seventy gave some wonderful advice in a 1998 LDS Business College devotional:
Your life is yours for the molding. Blessed with the vigor of youth and few obligations, this is the season of your great opportunity. But opportunity is an elusive commodity. It is, quite literally, here today and gone tomorrow.
Carpe diem is a Latin phrase. It means “seize the day.” You have “today” within your grasp. But unless you “seize” it, it will slip through your fingers like quicksilver and be gone. Oh, certainly, the sun will come up each morning throughout your life, and each day will present an opportunity of sorts for good works and happiness. But no other “today” will ever again be quite like the one that is now in your grasp. Carpe diem.

In the same vein, here is one of my favorite poems. It helps illustrate this point.

TO THE VIRGINS, TO MAKE MUCH OF TIME.
by Robert Herrick
GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying :
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer ;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry :
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.

This poem is urging us to not waste time, to live life to its fullest. That’s a fine message, but coupled with the foundation of the Gospel, doing so can bring everlasting blessings to others as well as to ourselves. My prayer is that we each make the most of each day. Like the Japanese cherry blossoms, moments and experiences will come and go. There is a transience in life. That’s why it is so important to remember how eternity plays into things. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.