Ubi mel, ibi apes

(~where there is honey, there are bees)

So, since finding these bees that have taken up residence inside my box of Easter baskets, I've been rather bee-brained. Aren't they magnificent? I go outside several times a day just to watch them. We couldn't possibly destroy the beautiful hive they've created, so we're trying to find a local beekeeper's club to come and take them off our hands (hopefully before Easter so we can have our baskets!) They are a wonderment, to be sure, these little creatures who work so diligently all the day long, each attending to her duties, each a part of a magical little community in this world. I have such respect for the honeybee!

But this phrase, 'where there is honey, there are bees'...what does that mean? I have two possible ideas: first, it could mean that where there is sweetness (ie, temptation) there is also danger. It's very easy in this world to overindulge in the "sweet" things of life. Addictions to almost anything are abundant. A moderate appetite for pleasure can get the better of one if not kept in careful check. When we give our will over to our indulgences, they become the master, and the 'sting' is most like the chains of hell spoken of in the scriptures. I am reminded of the principle of "opposition in all things" as I watch the beautiful honeybee hard at work creating her golden nectar, yet wary of threatening her into using her sting.

My second musing of this phrase centers around the principle that nothing worth having comes easy in this life. How often have I spread creamy, golden honey on a slice of homemade bread without thinking of the delicate life that was spent creating it? That warm, dripping honeycomb represents lives spent in perfect harmony with the measure of their creation, working all the day long, doing what they were put here to do. A great deal of busyness and hard work and long hours were spent so that I could have that honey. This leads me to think about my duties as a mother, wife, friend, sister, and servant. The end result that I want to claim as my prize will require many hours--the entirety of my life, in fact--and much dedication to fulfilling the measure of my creation. I hope that I spend more of my time doing what I was put here to do, and less time indulging in the sweet things to excess. I've been stung before!