Black Cherry Blossom Festival

One of the best kept secrets in our neighborhood is that, here in the new chocolate county, we have our very own Cherry Blossom festival. That's right, when Kettering was developed as a new community, the owners planted Cherry trees throughout the quiet and peaceful streets.

While the community has changed its complexion and is the subject of aging daydreams on Facebook, and the swimming pool is now shuttered, the trees retain their beautiful glory.

Given the demographics change here, what we really have going on is a Black Cherry Blossom Festival in Prince George's County - a best kept secret.

A Tale of Two Communities

It is very interesting how different communities deal with tragedy.

Here, in Largo, news of the four tragic murders in our quiet, serene neighborhood was greeted with a flurry of community reaction - a community meeting or two by the County Police. But otherwise, we seemed to just become a bit more nervous and resigned to the violence that appeared to be invading the quietness of our homes with ever more frequency, while listening to the law enforcement authorities utter meaningless promises about priorities.

Contrast that with the reaction across the river in Virginia, in another suburban quiet neighborhood, violence struck as a couple walked down a peaceful trail, resulting in the murder of a husband with the wife being left for dead.

There, the media also showed the neighbors expressing their emotions. But there, unlike here, the neighbors took action and gathered early in the dawn, walking the trail together to show the forces of evil that they were not fearful.

Two communities, struck by tragedies - one resigned and accepting of the violence; the other organized and determined to fight back.

Why have we not come together, no matter we live on this or that side of 202 or 214?