I was in my parent’s yard the other morning when this bumble bee caught my eye. It was one of the first cool mornings of the season, and this little bee was moving awfully slow. The sun was playing peek-a-boo through the clouds, and the winds were exceptionally gusty, so it wasn’t warming as quickly as we’ve been accustomed. Nevertheless, the bee clung to its Russian sage as it whipped in the breeze all the while trying to do the job it was called to do. I admired its persistence and beauty but had to be a little persistent myself to capture the fuzzy creature in the windy conditions. It wasn’t until I got home and got the pictures up on a larger screen that I noticed the poor bee had a battle scar. It was missing part of its right antenna.
How often do we feel like that little bee? We’ve put in countless hours doing our life work whether by calling or out of necessity. Sometimes we feel we’re moving a little slow from our struggles and while we may not be missing an actual piece of antenna, we feel broken under the strains of life. More often than not, our efforts seemingly go unnoticed and we wonder if it even matters. How do we fit into the big picture?
I’m here to remind you that it does matter and so do you. Sometimes our rewards won’t be seen in this life but the next and that too requires grit and persistence. We might not know how a seemingly small, ordinary action made all the difference to someone who crossed paths with us at the exact moment it was needed. Keep on keeping on, just like that bee and thanks for making this world a better place. You matter.
