We have reached the week in our spring season when the gorgeous, pink crabapple trees are collectively in bloom. I love seeing them throughout my town. When this process starts, they are only in bloom for about 10–14 days. That’s such a short time, but they are certainly noticeable — not only because they’re remarkably beautiful, but because they are all in bloom at once.
As I was riding my bike and admiring them, I thought about how these trees have faithfully bloomed every late April and early May for decades. But then, that led to another thought.
Every flowering tree blooms for the first time.
Out of curiosity, I wondered how long it takes for crabapple trees to bloom. I looked it up, and it usually takes three to four years. Young trees spend their first years forming their roots, establishing themselves for the long haul.
That’s just a fact, but I like knowing it. There is a kind of patience built into it. The visible beauty comes later.
And every one of those trees has a first spring — a year when, after seasons of unseen growth, something finally breaks through and becomes visible to the rest of us.
We notice them when they are in bloom. But the work that made that possible began long before we ever paid attention.
—Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 