Good Friday Morning!
I’ve written paens to West Virginia, to the creeks and streams and rocks, and to the mountain laurel and her beautiful, delicate flowers. There are a few magical weeks in West Virginia when all of them show up, and the weather is warming and the forests smell incredible, and it’s a glorious time to remember what it is to live in this place.
I absolutely adore the flowers on the mountain laurel. The rhodo are beautiful, but the tea-cup delicacy of these flowers, with their little spots inside thrill me every year.
I’m that rare grown man that has a favorite flower, and get excited every year when they come around.
It also helps to remind us of our transience in this place - they are here for a short time, and then they are gone, like the cherry blossoms in Japanese literature. It is our job to make the most of that short time, to shine as beautifully as we can.
Hope folks have a gorgeous weekend,
Splendour in the Mountains
p.s. - It is not lost on me that “She Loves Flowers” ran Tuesday, and here I am “I love flowers!” today.