Maintain your hive in hopes of a bountiful harvest

I recently purchased some honey from Berkeley Paxton of Covington. His labor, time and patience in the maintenance of his hives produced delightfully delicious honey — the best I have ever had. I am sure his learning has been a laborious adventure.

I was out in the yard on my little homestead the other day admiring the sunflowers that have now bloomed in my garden. Tiny significant creatures crawling around on them caught my eye. Amazed by and admiring the intricate design of the honeybee caused me to stand in awe of our magnificent Creator.

I do not know anything about beekeeping and harvesting honey, so I did some research on Goggle and would like to share a few facts.

• Beekeeping is time-consuming and requires patience.

• The beekeeper works diligently hoping for a bountiful harvest of sweet honey.

• The honeybee cannot live on its own.

• The role and purpose of each bee is specific and vital for the health of the hive.

• Honeybees are resourceful, preparing for the present and the future.

Maintaining hives while caring for bees is somewhat like maintaining family while caring for children. Beekeepers hope for delightful honey and parents hope for delightful children. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines family as “the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children.”

Life with my husband was quite the adventure...then we had children! If you have a conversation with me, you will very quickly learn that family is a significant part of my life. Although raising children has been a laborious, time-consuming adventure, the harvest has been delightful. The years that “three bees were in the hive buzzing around” required way more labor, time, and patience than beekeeping. Some days the tremendous workload, hours nurturing, and lack of patience exceeded a 24-hour period. At least, it seemed that way to me. Learning patience requires time and children have a way of teaching it.

Our children depended on my husband and I to love, protect, nurture, and guide them. They could not live on their own. We took the responsibility of fulfilling our purpose and specific roles in order for our hive to thrive.

We prayed and hoped for a delightful, bountiful harvest. We strived to be efficient while contributing to our children’s well-being where we were most gifted and capable. It was a team effort keeping the good of our hive in mind while tending to our bees.

Not only did my husband and I have specific roles, our children did as well. They navigated our expectations of being responsible — to us and to their siblings.

Using our resources wisely was beneficial in preparing the children for their daily lives as well as their future. Our goal was to prepare them for independence when they left our hive. Gratefulness takes on new meaning when I consider those who made an impact in our family dynamics.

The wisdom from God’s Word, blessing of jobs and finances, love and care from grandparents, support from extended family, faithful guidance from mentors within our church — all had significance in our years of parenting.

Saint John Chrysostom (early Church Father, Archbishop of Constantinople and Biblical Interpreter) said: “The bee is more honored than other animals, but not because she labors, but because she labors for the benefit of others.”

Laboring for the benefit of others, our children, is what we we’re supposed to do. My husband and I are delighted and our hearts are full.

Labor, time, and patience in the maintenance of your “hive” has the potential to be transformed into something delightful.

Be the bee that labors for the benefit of others — your own hive, your bees.