The Purple Trees of Easter

April is here, life is coming back to the earth, and spring has arrived!  In the part of Florida we live in, it means that one very important event that happens once a year is in full swing - the area is awash in trees that are covered in purple.  I have been enchanted with these beautiful trees for a number of years but never knew what they were called until a co-worker told me a few years back that they are jacaranda trees.  Always in time for Easter without fail, they burst forth in a blaze of purple glory for about a month, after which the blooms drop off and the trees blend back in with the rest of the foliage until the next year comes around.  

Although some people think jacarandas are a nuisance due to their being a non-native species (they were brought over from Brazil), they have become one of my favorite flowers, and sort of fill the gap left by a lack of lilac trees here, which I was used to growing up.  And, unlike wild boars, snakeheads, and kudzu, the jacarandas are not invasive; actually, they enhance the beauty of the area, which is constantly being built up as some greedy businessman builds yet another Publix, Stabuck's, or McDonalds (as if we don't have enough).  Therefore, I say celebrate their presence and enjoy their beauty for the brief time it displays itself every year.

Another phenomenon is something Barb pointed out to me that I had never noticed before I met her, and it involves another type of tree, namely evergreens.   At around Easter, the pine trees in particular display little crosses at their tips, and it is really a unique thing that only you can see that time of year.   Could it be that nature affirms something that man is often too selfish and blind to see?  Who is to say.   Anyway, with it being Easter season and all, thought it was worth mentioning.

A third interesting phenomena is something I grew up hearing about as a kid, and it involved the dogwood.  Legend has it that dogwood was chosen by the Romans as wood for the Cross that Christ was crucified on, and as a result God blessed the dogwood with a cruciform flower with patterns like a blood stain.  The dogwood is said to have its pink color also because it blushes in shame about the fact that it was used for what it was used for.  A song was made about this, and the story is still told by those who fondly remember it.

Creation indeed does herald God's glory, and it also commemorates Christ's Passion.  These simple signs from nature should serve to remind us of what we celebrate Easter for. 

I look for the day when my tired eyes see

the glory and beauty of the purple tree

Brief though it stays

it brightens the mundane days

As it breaks out in all its glory

as a reminder of God's redemption story!

May you all have a blessed Easter season.