"never lose your sense of wonder"
- Lee Ann Womack
A glimpse of our garden right now:
I want to share this story: if you ask a fly, “Are there any flowers in this area?” it will say, “I don’t know about flowers, but over there in that heap of rubbish you can find all the filth you want.” And it will go on to list all the unclean things it has been to.Now, if you ask a honeybee, “Have you seen any unclean things in this area?” it will reply, “Unclean things? No, I have not seen any; the place here is full of the most fragrant flowers.” And it will go on to name all the flowers of the garden or the meadow.You see, the fly only knows where the unclean things are, while the honeybee knows where the beautiful iris or hyacinth is...As I have come to understand, some people resemble the honeybee and some resemble the fly. Those who resemble the fly seek to find evil in every circumstance and are preoccupied with it; they see no good anywhere. But those who resemble the honeybee only see the good in everything they see. The stupid person thinks stupidly and takes everything in the wrong way, whereas the person who has good thoughts, no matter what he sees, no matter what you tell him, maintains a positive and good thought.
+ St. Paisios of Mt. Athos, “Good and Evil Thoughts,” Spiritual Counsels III: Spiritual Struggle
We had so many bees in our garden last month, when everything was flowering, but I haven't seen many lately. We have seen fireflies the past few evenings! Feels like summer.
Our raspberries will be ready soon!
What is green + growing near your home?
Wonderful, wonderful! I have seen fireflies once, when my daughter lived in Maryland and I visited her at the right time.
ReplyDeleteMy garden is so full of bees, going after all the delicious flower nectars. Borage, germander, verbena and lavender are their favorites right now.