“So, my question is, since you live in the mountains and so more outdoors and stuff, is, what do bees do when they are not working and stuff? Who helps them with things like finding the right television show and stuff?”
When seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow, and her concern for all living creatures, met Mrs. Gladys Jubilee Trent, grandmother of Amanda's best friend eight-year-old Gracie Trent …
“Well, I did grow up in the Blue Ridge, and there are a lot of busy bees up there,” Mrs. Trent said. “But they do go home at night, and as a good neighbor, I didn't pry into the hive to see what they were watching on TV. Entertainment for the bees … let me think about that for a second or two.”
“OK,” Amanda said, and just quietly settled into the four-way snuggle she, her eight-year-old sister Edwina, and Gracie were enjoying with Mrs. Trent.
“Here's what I think is going on, Amanda,” Mrs. Trent said after about a minute. “The difference between us humans and the rest of God's creatures is, they don't really get distracted in what they are doing like we do. They know what they are designed to do, and they have joy in it, and they don't have the stress of everyone else telling them ten thousand different things and need a break from that. What I'm saying is, once you learn exactly what you are supposed to be doing, you get so much joy from it that you really don't need much entertainment. I love being Grandma Jubilee for my grandchildren, and I love making arts and crafts, and I love writing for anthologies, so, with all that, I really don't need much entertainment.”
“So, uh … the bees love what they are doing so much that they just work and rest and never really get tired of it or bored?” Amanda said.
“Yep,” Grandma Jubilee said. “All of Creation but humanity is basically like that. Work, play – which really is a natural form of entertainment for animals and humans that helps us relax and get stronger at the same time – and rest.”
“Wait, grown ups play when kids aren't even around?” Edwina said.
“Y'all, there is so much of it that some of it is actually dangerous – fast cars, casinos, and making play out of things that aren't for play,” Mrs. Trent said. “Like Gracie was telling y'all about people who don't check and lay down with people that have bugs and then get up with spiderwebs in their hair, among other problems – some people think that is just play and call themselves players, but you can really mess up your life and your kids' lives that way.”
“Just no – ain't nobody ever gotta tell me again aout all that!” Edwina said. “I am too cute and too fashionable and have too much life to live! No!”
“Definitely not safe,” Amanda said.
“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie and her grandmother said together.
“But there's nothing wrong with play, for kids and adults – we're human and we need that sometimes,” Mrs. Trent said. “Games like dominoes and card games without betting, things like football and basketball and baseball, and computer games that y'all are into – all of it can be good, if not too much.”
“So, really the idea is figure out what you are supposed to be doing, and then play good games, and then rest,” Gracie said.
“Like your Grandma Velma and your sister Little Velma say all the time, basically, Gracie.”
“That actually makes sense, because, when I'm done gardening, I'm basically good for the day,” Edwina said. “And then you take Grayson my little brother. He loves to build, and when he's finally done with Legos, or doing clay with Velma over here, he's basically ready to go to bed.”
“Well, then, what am I supposed to be doing?” Amanda said.
“It looks to me like you and Gracie are doing a great job together learning about Creation and taking care of all the living beings around you,” Mrs. Trent said. “But the day creatures go to bed when the sun goes down, so you can, too.”
“But where does school and stuff fit in?” Amanda said. “I mean, I like school, kinda, but it really doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless I am thinking about how to use it to help people.”
“But that's OK,” Mrs. Trent said. “Everything you are learning in school is going to make it so later on, you can do even more because your brain will get very strong and find even more ways to connect to other things and people to help even more people. The better you read and the better you can do math, the more connecting you can do later on.”
“OK, because I'm totally into connecting with other good, safe people!” Amanda said. “We can all do more stuff together!”
“That's the right idea – the more you know about, the more you can do with good, safe people, for good,” Mrs. Trent said.
“I see why you have your life together, Gracie,” Edwina said as she gave Gracie a hug. “Thanks for sharing your brown grandmothers, because Amanda and I are missing two – I mean, Grandma Thalia will be back, but my other one ain't no good and we don't even know about Amanda's right now.”
“She probably ain't no good either,” Amanda said, “but, she could just be somewhere trying to be safe. I think there are more people hiding than anything.”
“Gracie was telling me y'all are really cousins and your Ludlow grandparents adopted you because your parents couldn't overcome their struggles and all your other grandparents are still struggling, and I'm real sorry all that happened to y'all,” Mrs. Trent said.
“Look, that's just because Gracie is super nice,” Edwina said. “The real story is that our parents chose their drugs over us, and our other grandparents just don't want to admit they messed up and don't want to be bothered with cleaning it up with us and that's that.”
“And you're still really mad about it,” Mrs. Trent said.
“I'm so mad,” Edwina said. “I mean, I see why I couldn't meet you until this month, because last month when they were still calling here and bothering us I would have been asking for shooting lessons!”
“Definitely not safe for anybody, which may be why my other grandmother might be in hiding,” Amanda said.
“But the thing is, this month, Cousin Maggie taught me about building good, so, I'm really trying to be a sweet little girl, do my gardening, take my singing lessons, and build good, because we've been through enough bad as it is,” Edwina said.
“I think you've found what you are supposed to be doing,” Mrs. Trent said.
“I think so,” Edwina said, “because although I'm not afraid of prison, Gracie told me they have people there doing long sentences. If you've ever heard my baby brother Robert with his long sentences, you realize that if he cussed, that would be a total no for a day, much less doing years of those sentences.”
“I've heard about Lil' Robert," Mrs. Trent said. "Gotta make time to have him up for some lap time and talk with him.”
“Make plenty of time, Grandma,” Gracie said. “He's super-sweet, and I just love him, but he's way too smart for his five-year-old head size, so his brains are constantly just falling out of his mouth. He can't help that he's not even seven yet, and definitely not eight, so he can't get his life together like Amanda, Edwina, and I can.”
“Well, we don't expect him at five to do all that,” Mrs. Trent said. “We just gotta love him, like we have to love each other, as we all learn to do better.”
“Ain't it the truth,” all three little girls said, and just snuggled in, all smiles, and fell asleep.
