“Cherry Blossom Heaven”

“Rumi led them down a narrow pathway that looked to be the sunlit entrance to heaven. The ground was completely covered by brilliant white snowdrops. Interspersed with their white blooms were delicately green stems. The sunlight streaming down on this natural carpet of flowers caused it to gently undulate, to ever-so-slightly pulse, and to quiver in soft ecstasy. On either side of the path, the three- and four-part trunks of cherry trees rose and branched. Pure white, five-petaled flowers had bloomed luxuriantly from their delicate stems. Together, the trees formed a snowy canopy over the walkers. They had entered into a world of purest white, a pristine world of unearthly beauty and grace, a world without sound and movement, a piece of heaven on earth.”