Not doing but being

I am an animal lover. If it has four legs and will stand still, I will talk to it and befriend it (vicious dogs excepted). One of my joys as I dabble in the garden is getting know the native birds and insects. However, this year, I have been conscious of how few bees we have had visiting our lavender and other flowers. In the light of the world wide problem with Colony Collapse Disorder, this has been very disturbing. This summer I have seen the grand total of three bees in our garden.

In my humble opinion, there is no creature on earth as fascinating as the honey bee. If I had a coat of arms, the bee would need to be part of it. I can find no greater evidence of a Divine Creator than this tiny insect. It is hard working, intelligent and our entire life system depends on it. No honey bee, no pollination, no food. Simple.

When I first heard about CCD, and how the scientific community is baffled and alarmed by it, I decided to take action. Every time I saw a bee, or thought there should be a bee around – say when the flowers started to blossom, I prayed for them. OK, I realise at this point you may have hung a loony tag around my neck, but stick with me.

Tonight I experienced a miracle; as I walked through our newly mown garden, I found I was being followed by a bee. I stopped to greet it and cartoon like it froze mid air then butted me on the forehead. Between myself and my cat, this is a normal greeting of affection. She will sit for ages next to my keyboard and wait to be greeted with a head but.

But with a bee?

I guess the prayers are just appreciated.