Of Bees And Birthdays

This year my wife’s birthday fell on Pentecost, which is often observed as the birthday of the Church – the day the Holy Spirit was poured out, manifest in wind and fire; somehow changing sound between lips and ears, defying the laws of nature; pollinating a dream that would take root across the known world, and, in time, beyond…

The other day I was tracking a bee through the bluebells in our garden – a creature whose flight, apparently, defies the laws of aerodynamics. Its wings hummed; and its rear stood out flame orange against the blue; as it moved from flower to flower with no pattern that I could discern and yet, I am sure, it was not random. A tiny thing, easily missed…and yet, an organism that lives in fascinating community, the simple found on the far side of complex; that creates the beauty of the comb and the sweetness of honey; that comes alongside plants to help give birth to new cycles of life. For all these reasons, this is the image I would like to offer for Pentecost this year.


Pentecost , bee , pollination