Bee Stings

“After you get stung, you can't get unstung, no matter how much you whine about it.”
― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

Until the end of June I had never been stung by a bee. I had not been in an acquaintance’s garden more than 5 minutes on that overcast Sunday afternoon before I felt the sting on the side of my foot. I quickly learned the truth about bee stings – that they hurt a lot. As a friend removed the stinger, chives were gathered to put on the sting and I sat a few minutes in the garden, made helpless by a mere bee sting.  However, the herbal remedy worked its magic, and soon, I was back on my feet for an afternoon of picking and gathering fruit in the garden. I forgot about the sting completely until I got out of bed the following morning. The soreness in my foot was, however, bearable and within a few days, the soreness and the swelling were gone.

This story came to mind, after being – once again – stung by a bee yesterday afternoon. This time sitting by a lake on the outskirts of Berlin, I got stung under my arm. Chives were not readily available this time around, but, having just gotten to the lake, I remained there even as my arm began to swell. Today, the sting remains pretty visible – swollen, sore, and red.

I haven’t posted to my blog in months, as I have been working to recover from the symptoms of another kind of ‘sting.’ Know that my silence is not intentional. I have simply not felt inspired to write and would rather post quality than simply post to fulfill writing a post.

My symptoms have not only extended to my blog writing. I have also felt myself distanced from my Berlin church congregation, frustrated with the institutional church. Angry and short-tempered when working within these confines. More emotional and emotionally unpredictable than what I would consider my  ‘normal.’

I have felt largely uninspired as I work through the symptoms of swollenness, soreness, and redness that have followed the emotional and spiritual sting of being at General Conference at the end of April. Never had I expected this ‘sting’ itself to penetrate so deeply into my being, nor had I awaited the aftermath of ‘symptoms’ that I am experiencing.

Whining will not change what has happened, and therefore it is not my aim to use this as a platform to whine. I did, however, want to answer your likely question, “Why the silence? Why has Michelle not posted recently?” And I am working to re-gather the strength, courage, and persistance that I will need to remain spiritually whole and to work towards justice within the United Methodist Church for the coming four years.

Know, however, that my next inspiration will come your way in the form of a blog post.

And until then, I will try to avoid being stung by any bees!