Beeeeing Loving

This month our family's theme is Love.  Of course, as we were announcing this before bedtime we did so while interrupting arguments, pillow throwing and other general grumpy-kid behavior.  Someone in the family has been sick for at least the last 3 weeks, so there has been a lot of tired, irritableness- can't you feel the love already?

Anyway, in my scripture study I came across the following facts about bees (I'm serious!)

"Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather nectar, and condense the nectar into honey...It is estimated that to produce just one pound (0.45 kg) of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon.

"Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be overwhelming for a few bees to do becomes lighter because all of the bees faithfully do their part...

"Father loved his gentle honeybees and marvelled at the way thousands of them working together transformed the nectar gathered from his peach blossoms into sweet golden honey- one of nature's most eneficia foods.  In fact, nutritionists tell us it is one of he foods that includes all the substances- enzymes, vitamins, minerals and water- necessary to sustain life." (from "Be Anxiously Engaged" by Elder M. Russell Ballard, October 2012)

Isn't that incredible?!  One little bee's efforts might appear insignificant at first, just 1/12 of a teaspoon, but when combined with the efforts of all the other bees in the hive it makes a huge, delicious difference.

I believe our efforts of loving others is very much the same.  We may not feel like an email to a friend, a smile or wave to a neighbor or a silly text to a sibling is very significant.  But it's contributing to the overall love they feel, and all those "teaspoons" of love add up and make a difference.  Trust me, I know. :)  Love, Eva