Spring beauty is elusive.

We have been visiting Swarthmore College where Rebecca is a senior every spring for five years. This was the first time that our visit coincided with the full glory of the spring bloom.

The flowering trees were particularly beautiful.

The Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore is the custodian of the grounds and woods around the college and does a spectacularly good job as the photos in this flickr album attest.

The lesson to be learned from this is “In the face of uncertainty (spring flowers) don’t give up, keep trying.”  Everyone who has come in contact with Swarthmore knows that it is a wonderful institution for students and by extension alumni.  What is less well known is what a delightful resource the college, the grounds, the faculty and the staff are for the parents who choose to get involved.  For us joining and being active on the parent council was a way to be close to our daughter while she was 3000 miles away without hovering over her.  An unintended consequence has been that Swarthmore has also enriched our lives, intellectually and with its special beauty.  Life is Good!