Fleeting Beauty

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Such a beautiful tree in bloom, and then boom - or rather, the boom-boom of thunderstorms. While walking with my doggie a couple weeks ago, I came upon a Stewartia tree in full bloom - thousands of bright white flowers with sunny yellow centers covering the tree in crisp contrast to its cool, deep green leaves on a hot summer's day. Then, later that day, the skies opened up, the breezes blew into whipping winds, and the rain came down hard.

The next day on our walk, I was so sad to see the result - hundreds of flowers had been knocked to the ground, still intact. But then, looking at them there beneath the tree, I realized they were just as pretty there as they'd been on the tree and even easier to see.

It reminded me of the way the cherry blossoms are celebrated in Japan, even after they fall, carpeting the ground like pink snow. The ephemeral beauty of Nature reminding us to appreciate that so many good things in life are all too fleeting.