As my husband and I make our backyard garden a hospitable place for creatures, pollinators, and people … I watch the bees on flowers (like in these photos I took). The bees inspire me by the goodness of their work: They seem to remind the plants to produce, and the blooms and blossoms respond by flourishing. Honeybees pollinate and gather nectar within about a two-mile radius, reminding me of the interconnectedness of nature and of us all. They risk the journey of flying out to forage, then back to the hive laden with pollen and nectar, despite the perils of nature’s predators and humans’ poisons. Thus they store up honey that will feed the hive in winter as well as the people who respectfully extract and enjoy the delicious, surplus honey.
As I watched a “bee doing good” this week, I was reminded to “be doing good” myself.* And this poem came to me:
Be(e) Doing Good
As you buzz about (many things)
are you singing, bringing out
the fruitfulness of life?
As you wing from place to place
do you cherish each colorful face
in the garden of life?
As you pollinate far and wide
are you ever calling forth
the Creativity of Life?
As you gladly sip secreted nectar
will you with honey feed
both the world and the hive?
–Catherine Lawton
*”Jesus … went about doing good.” (Acts 10:38)
This post was first published at GodSpace
What delightful photos and a great habitat for the bees. I too plant flowers for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.