Reuniting with Hope Among Flowers
Written by Sophie X. Song
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska
Published #78 | Fall 2025 Issue
On April 27, 2025, the Tzu Chi Education Foundation, in collaboration with Outward Bound, hosts a Jing Si Flower Arrangement class for students from John Muir High School, whose families were impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires in January. The organizers hoped that the quiet beauty of flowers would ease the students’ anxiety and help them recover from their trauma. Photo/Phil Huang
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On the afternoon of April 27, 2025, in a community meeting room nestled deep in the mountains of Southern California, Tzu Chi volunteers carefully arranged fresh flowers and quietly waited for a group of high school students to return from a forest hike. The students, from John Muir High School, came from families that had been affected by the Los Angeles wildfires earlier that year.
“When the students first came in, their faces were blank and subdued. There was no spark or energy,” recounted Lingling Hsu, the Tzu Chi volunteer who was about to lead the Jing Si Flower Arrangement class organized just for them.
Tzu Chi volunteer Lisan Hor, from Northern California, began by guiding the students through a short meditation. The volunteers sincerely hoped that, through this class, they might help bring a smile back to the students’ faces.
A Connection Forged During Disaster Relief Distributions
“There was an Outward Bound staff member named Brandon whose home was completely destroyed in the wildfires. When he attended Tzu Chi’s relief distribution, he spoke with Debbie Lee, then CEO of the Education Foundation [now CEO of Tzu Chi USA], and said that if Tzu Chi wanted to support schools in Pasadena affected by the fires, he could help make those connections,” explained Phil Huang, Administrative Director of the Tzu Chi Education Foundation. “Brandon has a gentle, caring personality. He mentioned that Outward Bound is currently using a small building at John Muir High School in Pasadena as its office. Because of their close ties with the school, the organization wanted to give back.”
Brandon said that more than 200 students from the high school had lost their homes entirely to the wildfires, which deeply saddened him.
Outward Bound is an international organization with branches in many countries, dedicated to developing individual potential, leadership, and teamwork through outdoor adventure education. For this event, Outward Bound organized a retreat for students from John Muir High School, while Tzu Chi offered the flower arranging class, hoping that working with flowers would help the students express their emotions and begin to heal from the trauma caused by the wildfires.
A Therapist From Afar
This Jing Si Flower Arrangement class, organized by the Education Foundation and Tzu Chi volunteers, differed from those held in the past: the participants were not young children, but high school students standing at the threshold of adulthood. For this reason, the team invited Lisan Hor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and longtime Tzu Chi volunteer from Northern California, to take part.
“I have a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology, with a concentration in Creative Expression, a healing process that uses art or imagination to explore and express inner experiences, emotions, and self-awareness,” said Hor. “The healing power of Jing Si Flower Arrangement comes from its spirit of simplicity, tranquility, and harmony with nature. In those quiet moments with the flowers, people can calm their minds and rediscover inner balance and peace. This spirit aligns closely with my expertise. So for this session, I integrated creative expression into Jing Si Flower Arrangement, guiding the students to return to the present moment, set aside their restless thoughts, and connect with their deeper selves through a dialogue with the flowers, thereby opening a path to healing,” she elaborated.
“As a mother and someone who has worked with many adolescents in clinical settings, I can truly understand what these students are going through. It’s heartbreaking to see them endure such upheaval. They haven’t just lost their homes – they’ve also lost their familiar school lives and are forced to adapt to new environments. I imagine they must be carrying many emotions and pains – perhaps even helplessness or anger – but haven’t had the opportunity to process or release these feelings,” Hor added.
I hope that through creative expression in flower arrangement, the students’ minds can gradually settle, and they’ll have a chance to recognize their emotions – whether anger, sadness, unease, or anxiety. When emotions are seen and acknowledged, they can begin to flow. That flow is the starting point of healing.
Listening to One's Own Voice
Lisan Hor had been busy with work, joking that she only had time to plan the Jing Si Flower Arrangement class “while taking a shower.” She didn’t make the trip from Northern to Southern California until the day before the event, when she finally met Tzu Chi volunteer Lingling Hsu, who oversees Jing Si Flower Arrangement classes in that region. Fortunately, the two clicked immediately and decided to adjust the class structure.
“We put all the flowers in a corner and let the students pick for themselves,” Hor explained. “We wanted to give them the space to listen to their own voices, to notice which color seemed to be calling out to them.”
Because of this approach, Hsu paid out of her own pocket to purchase far more flowers than usual, hoping the students could freely interpret and express their emotions from the moment they began choosing their blooms.
“Lingling Hsu is an exceptionally dedicated education volunteer, and she personally led this class,” said Phil Huang, Administrative Director of the Tzu Chi Education Foundation. “To prepare the flowers, she drove alone into downtown Los Angeles and bought a huge selection.”
“I did buy a lot of flowers that day, because I wanted the students to see them, feel happy, and be able to choose whatever they liked, forget their past troubles, and smile again,” Hsu said humbly. “It was just a small gesture, and truly worth it.”
Other volunteers also prepared vegetarian breakfasts and lunches, then spent Saturday morning driving two hours into the mountains to reach the community meeting room where the flower arranging class would be held.
Despite the long journey, the car was filled with the sound of excited laughter and the joyful energy that often accompanies Tzu Chi volunteers on a mission of care, one grounded in the intention to uplift the spirits of others.
“Everyone was so glad to be part of this, and we were all in good spirits the whole way. It wasn’t just about giving, but also healing our own hearts,” Hsu reflected.
Happiness Doesn’t Require Much
On April 27, as the John Muir High School students filed into the community meeting room after a hike through the mountains, their faces still flushed from the trail, they were met by the calm, welcoming atmosphere carefully prepared by the Tzu Chi team. The space, filled with fresh flowers and quiet intention, invited them to pause, breathe, and begin a different kind of journey.
“The day before we arrived, it had just snowed in the mountains. As soon as the students entered the classroom, they felt warmth. Then they were surrounded by these healing flowers, their mood was completely transformed,” shared Lingling Hsu.
Before the lesson began, Lisan Hor led the students in a brief meditation to help them relax and settle fully into the present moment.
“I guided them to imagine themselves in a beautiful natural setting, with sunlight warming their skin, to help them settle down,” Hor recounted. “With each inhale, they took in positive energy; with each exhale, they released stress and anything that was no longer needed.”
As the meditation came to a close, the students slowly opened their eyes and moved toward the flowers. To begin the class, each one was invited to choose the blooms that spoke to them. The selection, thoughtfully prepared by the two volunteers, struck a deep chord. One by one, the students gravitated toward flowers that reflected their inner state.
Jing Si Flower Arrangement uses both large and small flowers. But one girl said, ‘Today I picked only small flowers, like baby’s breaths. I didn’t use a single large one because I realized we don’t need a lot in life.’ I was deeply moved. She had just lost everything, yet she could say this, and arrange a beautiful piece with just small flowers.
“Another girl also moved me deeply. Her voice was a little shaky as she shared how she often found herself caught up in memories of the past, especially the more painful ones. She said she realized that maybe learning to be a bit gentler with herself, giving herself more space, would really help,” Hor recalled.
Even Brandon, the Outward Bound staff member who had organized the retreat that included Tzu Chi’s class, opened up and revealed his insights with honesty, she added. “He said he loves bold, vibrant colors – maybe that reflects his personality. He also noticed that he tends to do too much, and this showed in his arrangement: he added many elements, making the whole piece a bit tall and crowded, perhaps a little too ambitious. He said that if he could do it again, he would choose to simplify, to do less. For him to share this kind of self-awareness and space for growth in front of everyone took real courage. It wasn’t easy,” Hor reflected.
Let Go of Yesterday, Focus on Today
That day, the volunteers incorporated an additional activity into the flower arranging class, designed to echo the flower selection process. It offered the students even more space for self-expression and creativity, helping them release emotions they may have been carrying inside.
“For this class, we prepared six small cards with Jing Si Aphorisms written on them, and set them out for the students to choose from,” Hor said. “After arranging their flowers, each student could pick the aphorism that resonated most with them and place it in their piece. In this way, each creation became a vessel for their feelings and strength in that moment.”
“We didn’t explain the meaning of each aphorism in detail. Instead, we took a more open approach, inviting each student to select the card that spoke to them and then share why they chose it. In that moment, you could see smiles spread across their faces,” Hsu recalled with contentment. “Every aphorism was chosen by someone, and one that was shared repeatedly was, ‘Do not underestimate yourself, for people have limitless potential.’”
One student shared their thoughts on the aphorism, 'Let go of yesterday, focus on today,’ saying, ‘When something happens, we shouldn’t keep dwelling on it. From today on, let’s focus on the present and do our best for what comes next. That way, we can surely restore our family’s former happiness.’
After the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires in Southern California, Master Cheng Yen emphasized that Tzu Chi’s work should extend beyond immediate relief to include long-term care. Following a disaster, people need not only a safe home for their bodies, but also continuous comfort for their hearts. It’s only then that they will be able to let go of past trauma and find hope for the future. Through this meaningful Jing Si Flower Arrangement experience, surrounded by the scent of fresh blossoms, the students from John Muir High School had the chance to do just that.
