What a joy it was to spend the day with Baseline Colorado at Checker Square in the first Pollinator District in Colorado! This event was an opportunity for young and old to learn how to steward their environment well!
The amazing organizers of this event brought in several organizations for families to broaden their knowledge around pollinators, along with great entertainment, vendors, and educators including People and Pollinators Action Network, the Butterfly Pavilion, and Colorado State University Extension!
We believe our community needs more events like this one! A laid-back, fun-filled environment that teaches us how to steward well with vendors whose offerings value to our lives: healing products, fun activities, and hands-on learning opportunities!
So, what is a steward?
First, let’s understand what a “steward” is. There are many virtues and values that parents, teachers, mentors, and coaches alike aim to teach and model to the next generation. One of these values that tops the list for my family and Honey Bones is caring for and stewarding what we are given- whether it it’s relationships, pets, homes, gardens, finances, or the opportunity to learn.
When looking back at ancient languages that influenced modern English, we learn more about this word “steward.” One of the oldest languages in history is the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word for steward, “ben bieth,” translates as “son of the house.”
Looking closely at the contexts it was used in, it is clear that “son” could mean a literal or metaphorical son. In both cases, there was a relationship that bound the steward to care for the owner’s possessions, land, and family. In return, the steward received support from the owner whether it was food and shelter, financial compensation, etc. Oftentimes the owner would be gone from the property for long periods of time so the steward had to know owner owner’s expectations for how to care for their land, people, possessions, etc.
Through this ancient lens, we see that stewardship is a calling that extends farther than things that are just biologically or legally ours (family we share DNA with, property we have purchased or inherited, etc.). We are created to be in community and sometimes we are needed in our communities to care for another's property, another's business, cats that end up on your neighbor’s doorstep, your daughter’s best friend, the list goes on.
We have the choice to answer that call to stewardship or keep our lives insulated and protect only what is “ours.” We can view our jobs as just a paycheck, or we can see it as an opportunity to wisely steward a part of our interconnected communities.
Stewarding in Action: Honey Bee Day
At Honey Bee Day last weekend, a friend of mine joined me in our booth along with her two daughters. My husband, my son, and I witnessed firsthand our friends caring for my family and my booth- our “home” for the day.
Deep friendship is one of those callings that we can steward. I invited my friend and her daughters to come to Honey Bee Day. They showed up in a far greater way than I expected. Without my asking, her daughters spent the afternoon entertaining my son so I could be present at my table. Without my asking, my friend helped me set up my booth and would talk to customers when I was busy. She was able to successfully care for or steward my “house” that day because she intimately knows my family’s values through our time spent together and through honest, vulnerable conversation.
Our friends helped steward the “house” they were in that day, giving assistance out of love to me and my family as we provided our offerings to the community.
The Honey Bee Day was not only a fun, educational event for the community; It was a call to action. A call to care for this giant Earth “House” we’ve been given and all the little creatures on it that care for us, like the bees carrying pollen to and fro as they visit flowers. The bees, that help provide us with nutrient-rich foods we need to live healthy lives so that we can, in turn, steward and care for our community. Because we are abundantly blessed by what our Creator and Father has provided for us on this earth, we are in relationship with it and we must steward it.
So this is your encouragement, your call to action: to be a steward! Your community needs you! The people, the plants, the pollinators.
We will continue these thoughts on stewardship so please follow along!
Please reach out if you need some encouragement or resources. We are here to help you become Healthy, Healed, and Whole. 💗
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