‘To Bee or not to Bee’
Over the years, my immediate family, the Bertolette family, has become known as “The Bees.” It all started when our daughter, who is now grown and married with a daughter of her own, was identified as “Jenny B” in her Montessori preschool class in order to distinguish her from the three other girls in her class who were also named Jenny. The “B” stuck, and soon evolved into all our family members — including the dog — being referred to by their first name and last initial. Our family symbol became the BEE — the tiny yellow and black creature that produces honey and plays such a crucial role in our ecosystem as a pollinator of so many things critical for our survival.
Why, you many be wondering, does any of this matter, given the pandemic we are battling and the current state of our nation, torn asunder by tension and violence that has erupted in response to racial injustice? So many of the people with whom I speak these days feel overwhelmed and helpless, wondering what, if anything, they can do to respond, to make a difference. Here is where the bees come into play. While not a one of us can solve the problems of the world by ourselves, all of us can do little things that make a difference. Mother Teresa spoke often of the importance of doing small acts of kindness with great love. Jesus lifted up the importance of doing something as simple as offering a cup of cold water to those who are thirsty. And I will always remember the words a longtime member of St. John’s chose to live by. A quiet man who left his mark on the community through his years of service, he embraced this motto: “I am only one man, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I must, and I will.”
In July of 1968, Charles Schulz, creator of PEANUTS, introduced the character Franklin into his weekly comic strip. A little black boy, Franklin is depicted shaking hands with Linus and saying, “Hi . . . I’m Franklin.” As he looks his classmate Franklin in the eye, Linus’ simple response is, “I’m very glad to know you.” While some newspapers threatened to stop running the PEANUTS comic strip and others pressured Schulz to remove Franklin, Schulz refused. In May of 1969, Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, aired a show in which he invites Officer Clemmons,
a black police officer, to soak his feet in the plastic kiddie pool Rogers is about to soak his own feet in as well. Mister Rogers also dries Clemmons’ feet when they are done. Schulz’s and Rogers’ acts were small and seemingly insignificant, yet both planted seeds that would grow into something much bigger in days to come.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the young prince famously ponders, “To be or not to be . . . that is the question.” May we choose to BEE, that is, to do small things that make a difference. May we each do our part to spread God’s love, to reflect Christ’s light, to draw the circle of inclusion wide, and to speak healing words to those who have been diminished in the face of racial injustice. May we dare to weep with those who weep, stand willingly alongside those who have been pushed down, and listen with open hearts and minds to their stories. May we choose to take little steps outside our comfort zone to help close the gap that separates us from one another. And, every time we see a bee, may we remember the importance of small things done with great love. May you “bee” the reason someone’s spirits are lifted, someone’s hope is restored, someone’s load is lightened. May you choose to BEE!