The day after Bee Day was sunny and beautiful. Like last year, the apple trees were in bloom when we brought the bees home. For me, apple blossoms and honeybees go together now. They mark the season, and when I think of that time of year, that is what I think of.

That morning Jeff and B headed out to the garden while I was busy in the kitchen. B came running inside to tell me that honeybees were all over the garden and I must come see!

One of the plants the bees seemed to especially love in our garden were the Goumis. The cream colored flowers were covered. (We pick red Goumi berries in the summertime. We purchased our Goumis from One Green World.)

Last year we didn’t see the honeybees in the garden very much, so we were excited that on the very first morning we were already seeing them all over the garden this year.

I watched in awe as the honeybees visited flower after flower, savoring the warm sun on my face, and smiling. B and I stood side by side watching, and we were completely delighted.

It’s hard to describe how I felt then. With the sun shining and the birds singing, being able to watch the bees felt like witnessing something truly sacred and magical. I felt so much joy in my heart watching those little bees!

The feeling I had was like joy bubbling up inside of me and a lightness… and I felt like laughing.

I don’t even know why I felt such joy over such a simple thing, but I did.

There are plenty of things in the world that weigh heavy on my heart, things that make my heart ache with the suffering. I know you see many things as well, and feel the heavy loads too.

And then I ask myself- how can I be standing in the garden, in the morning sun, feeling bliss simply watching honeybees… while there is so much suffering in the world?

And here is my quiet answer.

I have come to feel that the world needs our JOY. The world needs our love.

When there is so much fear all around, and so much suffering, it seems that embracing the moments of joy and surrounding ourselves in love whenever we can, makes it possible for us to shine more love and do more good.

All the things that make us laugh, and lighten our spirits… they give us more resilience, and in that way we can be of service more.

I intended to come here today to simply write a blog post about the honeybees, but sometimes I sit down to write and something unexpected comes through…

My message to share today is encouragement to let that joy in, however it finds you. Let it permeate your being like feeling the warmth of the sun in your whole body, and give you strength. Let yourself laugh, and let your weary heart lift and lighten.

Your light in this world matters more than you will ever know.