The Small Lives Already Here
by Scottish beekeeper & prayerbead maker, Fiach OBroin-Molloy
The ladybirds [UK name for lady bugs] have started moving into the house.
Outside, there have been so many butterflies in the garden, especially around its less tidy edges. Between them, they have been drawing my attention
to things I might otherwise pass without looking.
I think of the nettles. I know how readily we call them weeds, as though that settles what they are worth. Yet there is life thriving around plants I might once have thought needed clearing. Watching the butterflies, I find myself less certain that my idea of a good garden is the only one that matters.
I still want to tend the place. There are things to prune, paths to keep open and plants that need help. But before tidying a corner, I am learning to look at what is happening there. Something small may already be making good use of it.
Tending bees has made that pause familiar to me. An inspection requires attention: looking carefully, noticing what the colony is doing, deciding whether anything needs to be done. My wish to intervene is not always a good reason to do so. Sometimes the useful thing is to close the hive and let the bees continue.
Saint Francis comes to mind when I spend time among these small lives. His affection for creatures helps me remember that the garden is shared. The bees, butterflies and ladybirds have their own needs, quite apart from the pleasure they give me.
The ladybirds coming indoors make that especially difficult to forget. The distinction between my house and the living world outside turns out to be rather more porous than I imagine.
For me, this is one way prayer begins: I stop what I am doing long enough to notice. A butterfly holds my attention. A bee draws me towards a flower. For a moment, the list of
things I ought to finish can wait.
I do not always need words for that moment. Sometimes there is simply gratitude that these lives are here, carrying on alongside mine.
Then comes a small decision: whether to clear a patch, whether to leave it, whether to look more closely before reaching for the tools.
The garden is still unfinished. There are jobs waiting. But when I see how much is already living in its margins, I am less inclined to measure it only by what remains to be done.
Fiach O’Broin-Molloy is an Irish maker and beekeeper living in Scotland. He makes rosaries and prayer beads by hand at Paisley Honey.
PAISLEY HONEYHandmade Rosaries & Devotional Gifts from Scotland
Handcrafted Devotion, Rooted in Nature
Just as cloistered communities tended their hives for centuries, we continue that tradition today, blending beekeeping with the handcrafting of rosaries and devotional pieces. From the steady hum of the apiary to the patient threading of beads, every item we make carries a sense of peace, purpose, and heritage. Each piece is thoughtfully designed to honour faith, nourish the spirit, and connect you with the timeless practices of prayer and care for the natural world.
