Cherry Blossom Pics

Cherry Blossoms – The Dream

Depression and hopelessness can be paralyzing things in a person’s life. On March 16, 2014, as I lay in the hospital bed in the neuro rehabilitation unit I was in, I had pretty much given up on all hope of ever getting home or getting better. I had become so discouraged that it almost consumed my whole beingness. I figured I would end up lying there until I literally got worse and was eventually forgotten – perhaps even die there all alone. I fought these thoughts with the presence of my family, who came as often as possible. The visiting hours were much more restrictive than at the hospital, and they did not allow overnight stays for family. I had developed a problem with sleeping. Man, I have got to get back to a normal sleeping pattern, I just kept thinking to myself.

However, that night I once again complained how my specialized medical air mattress didn’t feel right (it felt hard as a rock with no give), and I was in immense pain, and the loneliness and defeat fought against my desire to succeed and be “free” of negativity and out of that hell hole (my vision of it anyway). Aside from a handful of nurses and aides who actually cared about me as a patient and a person, it felt as if I was insignificant, overlooked, and ignored even for my smallest needs. I wanted to go home more than anything. I prayed for it every night for over a month.

Well, when I went to sleep that night, I was met with a dream that some may refer to as a spiritual vision.

I was walking on a concrete path, kind of like a park setting. There was plush green grass on either side of the path, and the path seemed to stretch on forever. There were giant trees, full and green, sparsely placed throughout the park. However, there were numerous trees that resembled “cherry blossom trees”.  Instead of the beautiful pinkish/red leaves that fall from them as simple petals, these petals were somehow different. I looked closely at them as they fell around me onto the path beneath my feet. Each petal had formed the word “HOPE” on it. I also saw the word HOPE flash in see-through script before my face as I walked. It was oddly natural and strange to me at the same time.

Soon, a figure appeared cloaked in long flowing garments that were nearly undistinguishable. I was unclear of age, gender, just that they were cloaked in pure white. There was no view of them, only the sound of their voice. This figure told me to “never give up HOPE” and exactly what I should say and do the next day and who to contact once I awoke, and in which order to contact to get home, and I would be home that week. I was assured it would be a test of my faith and belief in the power of HOPE. The figure told me I would wake up full of joy and peacefulness and be ready to go, and to not let anyone or anything allow me to stop believing I was going home that week to a safe environment.

The figure said I “MUST share my hope with everyone I met and help them in some small way” and that I “should be brave” and “when you can’t walk on the path anymore because your hope has faltered due to the storms you will surely face… open your eyes and focus;  breathe deeply and find your target like you learned with your Speech therapy, and remember the leaves of HOPE beneath your feet as they will carry you along the path when you have not strength to carry yourself – and remember only that you must NEVER GIVE UP HOPE.”

When I woke up, I was still in so much insurmountable pain, but something was different – I felt soulfully different. I was full of so much happiness and calm that I was almost feeling guilty like I had some secret or had done something naughty. I was seemingly present in each breathing moment and took to heart the message I was given – that to me, in those moments, was so utterly profound.

I began my journey quickly, and followed the instructions I was given to the letter. I even told my husband I would be home that week.  He looked at me almost with pity…..like I couldn’t really fathom my medical situation; and before he could really say anything, I told him I needed that HOPE and please don’t take it from me and plled with him to just let me believe it.  He didn’t feel I was being realistic given my injuries and all I still had to accomplish to get released from the neuro rehab to home. I told him I had to be home or I would die there, and it WOULD be that week. I even told my mom and some of my more favorite aides. I genuinely BELIEVED it.

I couldn’t begin to fathom all that would need to happen to even begin to make that a reality.

That same day on St. Patrick’s Day a series of miracles and limited opportunities began to unravel, and due to the due diligence of many of those who were willing to believe with me and listen – doors of change, advocacy, opportunity, courage, and perseverance prevailed, and I was home by Thursday.

I remember the ride home and feeling like this was my chance to heal, fight for my life, and covet the message that allowed this to all happen. I found myself filled with a visceral and abounding sense of HOPE.

There was so much to be grateful for and so many to be thankful to as well, who in lightning speed made things come together as if it had never been done so quickly. Some strange things happened that week which I can only describe as serendipitous or miraculous.

To live, to survive, to renew myself, I knew I must carry on the message and hold true to the belief that now filled me.

As you read this, I implore you to fill your own life with your own version of Cherry Blossom Trees with leaves and petals of HOPE marking your path…..and when you don’t believe it is possible anymore to continue and carry on…. let the petals and leaves of HOPE guide you through the path to the many benches that are waiting to give you a place to rest as you move along towards your target and your goals.

The colors were so vibrant and the dream so vivid that my HOPE to go home never faltered…and by golly, I was home by that Thursday. I still find it miraculous. I still even find myself feeling the warmth of the moment when I think back to being in that dream. My purpose for survival, unbeknownst to me at the time, was being formed even as I slept.

I was originally unsure what cherry blossom trees represented. I knew I must, at some point, look that up to see what they signified, as everything in a dream is poignant and means something. I just didn’t fully fathom how it would unfold……but for me that was the beginning of my new journey

HOPE became the acronym to “Help One Person Excel” which had to start with myself first– facing impossible odds and seemingly hopeless hurdles…..AND It WORKED.

That dream and that message have never left my heart or my lips ever since. HOPE a choice to keep or let slip away. Me, I clung on for dear life and trusted what I was told and felt inside. It has fully shaped the reinvention of my life, career, and existence.

(misspellings from original post, and duplicated post edited for this site)

Cherry Blossoms – The Meaning

Back to the Cherry Blossom trees and what they represent.

In Asian cultures, cherry blossom meanings usually include being brave, industrious and wise. It has become both a cultural and a national symbol for various countries in Asia. The cherry blossom is fundamentally a symbol of love, hope, beauty, humility, and joy. It is believed that the cherry blossom promotes love and spiritual awareness. They symbolized impermanence, renewal, mortality, and a season of change.

In Japan they represent the fleeting nature of human life. The Samurai associate the falling petals with their own lives on the battlefield. In China they represent feminine power, love and harmony. in Korea purity and resilience.

“The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years. In their country, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short. When the cherry blossom trees bloom for a short time each year in brilliant force, they serve as a visual reminder of how precious and how precarious life is. So, when Japanese people come together to view the cherry blossom trees and marvel at their beauty, they aren’t just thinking about the flowers themselves, but also about the larger meaning and deep cultural tradition the cherry blossom tree.”