What a Wonderful World

I married into a family that loves honey. In fact this picture is the label that my husbands Grandfather and Great Uncles used in their apiary. Somehow I am going to incorporate this image into the decoration of my new house. I have lots of ideas on how to do this and will keep you posted. Did you know that you there are companies that can take any image you give them and turn it into wallpaper? I am not a huge wallpaper fan but for something unique like this it could be kind of cool. This label makes me happy, it makes me think of simple times, it makes me want to keep bees and sell honey. My husband feels the same way. The truth is I am probably too scared of being stung to death on the first day of business but I like the picture in my mind of he and I working side by side everyday, tending to a home business that supports us and offers people a quality product that brings them joy. I am concerned about the honey bee and have heard various reports that they are in danger. According to Mr. Einstein it wouldn't take long for the human race to perish without the beloved honey bee. I need to become better informed on this issue and what we can do. I will let you know what I find out.

As for today, I will tell you that bees amaze me. I love to watch them do what they do. A few summers ago I read "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd and I absolutely loved it. It has powerful characters and such vivid descriptions that it was a long time before I wanted to read another novel. When I saw the movie, the honey house was right where I imagined it would be and the casting was perfection. It is rare that a movie can hold its own with a book but this one did a great job. If you haven't read the book, please do. As soon as you are finished reading run out and rent the movie, invite all your friends over and serve all things honey. The book is filled with great quotes but here is my favorite from the beginning.

"The Queen, for her part, is the unifying force of the community, if she is removed from the hive, the workers very quickly sense her absence. After a few hours, or even less, they show unmistakable signs of queenlessness." Man and Insects

Think of yourself as the Queen and your home as your hive and never underestimate your queenliness and how quickly your absence is felt when you are gone. Sorry guys but when I go to somebodies house and the Queen isn't there it just doesn't feel the same. Sometimes our chores are so mundane and so..... daily. It can be hard to feel the joy and find the sacredness in it all. I find being present to the task at hand really helps me find the gratitude and the joy. Some mornings I wake up and rush into all that lies before me and I find myself feeling distracted and resentful and maybe even a little bored with it all. On the mornings where I wake up a little earlier than I "need" to and I find a quiet spot and a cup of tea it reminds me that I am a Queen and I am surrounded by my own personal Kingdom. Thirty minutes is about all I need to sit in the silence, not attaching myself to any thoughts or noises that I hear. Time to be still. No buzzing. When I open my eyes I see something very different because after sitting in the quiet spot I find the quiet spot inside myself. I feel connected to something so much greater and instead of resentment or boredom I feel gratitude. Joy. I fold the laundry and I think about the cloth that touches my child's skin, I wash the dishes and I think of the nourishment that they felt from a meal made with love. I make breakfast for Lilly and feel the childlike wonder she has for something as simple as toast and fresh blueberries. I look out the window over my sink and I am simply amazed at what I see. The birds at the feeder, the cars passing by, the dog doing his morning run, the cat laying in the window box and on and on and on. Suddenly I can hear Louis Armstrong singing in my head..............

Stay tuned for more earth shattering revelations in my kingdom.

With love,

The Queen.