{"id":3270,"date":"2025-11-12T21:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T21:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anandamayibaker.com\/?p=3270"},"modified":"2025-12-31T21:54:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:54:47","slug":"everything-is-connected-a-thanksgiving-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anandamayibaker.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/12\/everything-is-connected-a-thanksgiving-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything Is Connected: A Thanksgiving Message"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to all in our hive, far and near, young and older, new and seasoned subscribers to our newsletter featuring Jazianzza’s memoir, Bee-Coming Strong<\/em>. Thank you for joining us this month of Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this season of gratitude, Jazi and I find ourselves especially grateful for you and for the sweet energy that has surrounded her memoir. Interestingly, many countries around the world have their own day celebrating thanksgiving of some kind, whether it be to honor harvests, pay respect to ancestors, or commemorate a historical event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, Jazi asked that I especially emphasize the reality that we are all connected \u2014 an important theme in Bee-Coming Strong<\/em>. As we’re all witnessing, a lot is happening in many parts of the world right now. Division, conflict, and fear seem to be everywhere. We’re all in this together, and we all need one another to heal the planet and continue to grow as human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you remember the most important moment in Jazi’s story? When she came face-to-face with Queen Hemizill Hornet and her swarm – the most terrifying creatures she’d ever encountered? In that moment of fear, Jazianzza used her breathing techniques to stay calm. And then something magical happened\u2026She looked at the little hornet struggling with poor eyesight, and suddenly realized: “She’s just like me!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That recognition \u2014 seeing herself in someone she’d been taught to fear \u2014 changed everything. Her act of kindness (offering her precious glasses) transformed enemies into friends and saved her entire hive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The saints have long told us that we are all connected, that the Energy (or Great Emanator, God, Spirit, Light, Love, or however you understand It) which created us exists within everything. That same Energy is not only within Jazi and her siblings, but within ourselves, the orca whales, the faraway stars, the Orion nebula, and yes, even in the feared hornets.” When we truly understand this incredible reality, we can learn to see past our differences and recognize ourselves in one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re all connected. We’re all part of this amazing Fabric. How well we protect our pollinators will determine how our own lives play out. As I mentioned in a past newsletter, about 75% of flowering plants and 35% of global food crops depend on animal pollination in some way. Our society as we know it would collapse without them, after even the first 2-5 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, beginning with our little bee friends, we give thanks to them. And we can help them by planting native flowers, avoiding pesticides, and leaving small patches of “messy” garden for them to nest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here’s what Jazianzza taught us that goes even deeper: When we practice kindness toward those who seem different or scary \u2014 when we truly SEE them \u2014 we change not just our own lives, but our whole community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, if we all make it a point to do even one little thing to support something or someone, we can help better our planet and each other. It doesn’t have to be big or complicated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can encourage our children to smile at someone who looks different than them. We can share with them Jazianzza\u2019s breathing technique for when they feel scared or angry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We adults can support local environmental organizations and food banks, or even look for the \u201chornet\u201d in our lives to discover how much they are like us. Bee-lieve me, it\u2019s a sobering, important reality to contemplate! \ud83d\ude09 And as far as bees go, look how this woman\u2019s support for a crippled bee changed her life! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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