BEE Happy!

OK, so just what is my deal with the Bees?
My really only memorable encounter with the lovely winged creatures was to get a giant sting right on the forehead.  You would think that would have been enough to give me a just a healthy respect and keep my distance.

However, my fascination grew.  They are such enterprising little things.  They all have a reason for being.  They all work in concert with each other.  They create!  They'd give it up for their queen!

Bees also have been symbolic of the Christian Faith. In fact swarms of bees wrap the pillars of the Altar of St Peters Basilica in Rome.

http://www.planetgast.net/symbols/symbolsb/symbolsb.html

	The bee has been admired for its noble traits by many cultures and therefore has a variety of symbolic meanings. It can be used to represent community, diligence and industry, purity, immortality and and resurrection. Its sting may represent judgment. The honey it produces may represent sweetness of character or heavenly riches.
Beehive
	The beehive is a relatively modern symbol representing the church. Many bees, each assigned a different task, working together for the building up of the hive reminded artists of the Body of Christ, which is built up (edified) by many believers with differing spiritual gifts. Nine bees traditionally represent the nine fruit of the Spirit. The beehive may also be used as an emblem of St. Bernard of Clairveaux, and of St. Ambrose, who is the partron saint of beekeepers.Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (NIV)

I
Catholocism .org quotes.,  "The bee is a symbol of Our Lady. Because of its good working habits, the small honeybee is a well-known symbol for work, good order, and diligence. Less commonly known is that the bee is a representation of virginity. The worker bees have no part in the reproduction of its species, except for that of feeding the baby bees. The responsibilities of “bee parenting” are left to the queen bee and the drones. Since virginity is a virtue we find exemplified to its highest capacity in Our Lady, the bee quite naturally becomes one of Her symbols.!"

I guess for myself, I had always been so industrious that I felt like a worker bee.  The hive how ever does takes care of its own if they can't work any more.  They still have a place and are cared for.
That thought makes me happy.  Here are some of my mixed media pieces on bees...