To Bee There

Wow! How lessons are given to me never ceases to amaze me! I have an office outside in my backyard. It is my little retreat that in order to get to, I must pass under an arbor crowned with morning glories. In the past several weeks another tenant has taken up residence along that route. From the arbor down to the fence that surrounds the patio outside my office is now a beautifully spun web and a nice big “Charlotte” who hides during the day beneath the rungs of the arbor. So I have got into the habit of whenever I leave my office, or go out to it from my house, I stop to see what’s going on with Charlotte or at the very least glance over to look.

One day a couple of weeks ago as I was coming out from my office and stepping through the arbor, I glanced back over my shoulder to check on Charlotte and there in the middle of the web was a bee. Trapped and still. Charlotte was not in the web. She was up in her little resting place under the arbor, I suppose napping before dinner. As I looked at that poor little caught bee, I noticed a second bee hovering over the web. I kind of made a little sad face, turned around and walked into the house. But I couldn’t get it out of my head. That second bee. So I went back out and stood in front of the web and watched him. He would hover over his friend, who was caught irrevocably, and then buzz over to a morning glory or two and then back to being near the web.

Now, ok, I know bees don’t have feelings, but I kept thinking how sad and frustrated he must be to see his friend in distress. Yet he also knew he had his own job to do and continued doing it, while “standing vigil” for his buddy.

And I thought how it is with we ourselves. When we have loved ones caught in what seems to be irrevocable circumstances, whether it be self-inflicted through an addiction, a physical injury or a terminal illness, how can we help them when what we usually want to do is fix it? Some things are not within our power to fix. How heartbreaking it can be to stand by and watch a life disintegrating before our eyes! How devastatingly helpless we feel!

So what do we do? Bee there. Be near enough to help if we can. Yet not so close that, especially in the case of a dear one caught in addiction, we get caught in the web ourselves. Let them see that we are there to support with words of encouragement, love, and kindness. For those who are injured or facing debilitating illness, we can give the same as well as bringing laughter and lightness to their own trapped feelings as much as possible.

And yet it is also important to remember that the bee continued to do his assignment. He was visiting the flowers, doing his job, yet coming by every once in awhile to check on his friend. That keeps us sane, does it not? To continue the jobs we have in this world whether it be as a parent, a husband, wife, or just a plain old human being in general. Because there are plenty of things we can do nothing about and doing something about the things we can raises our level of appreciation. How so? Because who knows when we too will be caught. So while we can, let us fly and do and love and bee.