Lesse’s Secret Honey
Precious Polite (left) introduces us to Lesse (far right) and a colleague.
“Rise early,” said Lesse, our host, during our Maasai dinner. “The sunrise over Mt. Kilimanjaro is not to be missed.” The excitement for morning time was akin to Christmas!
“Jambo, Jambo,” said the woman’s voice softly. I opened the door and was greeted by Leah, the magnificent morning light, and a burst of crisp morning air. “Jambo,” she said again. “Enjoy.” She handed me a tray with hot tea, coffee and warm biscuits. We opened the shutters surrounding the hut and were enveloped in the developing brushstrokes of sunrise. Soft reds, violets, pinks and yellows crossed the sky and our Mt. Kilimanjaro. How wonderful to awaken the eyes and the soul so gently. This was a moment to be treasured; a reminder of how important it is for us to stop and truly see.
An hour later, we were called to a buffet breakfast in the dining room. The bright colors of traditional Maasai fabrics complimented the bounty of fresh local citrus fruits. As I poured my tea, I saw a small dish with honey in it. I added a spoonful to my tea, hoping it would quell the dryness I had been experiencing in my throat. As I sipped my tea, it tasted differently than regular black tea. Then I realized it wasn’t the tea that tasted differently, it was the honey. And, it was instantly soothing on my throat. I began to feel more refreshed for the early morning start.
We enjoyed the activities of the day from nature hikes to learning more about the local traditions, animals, plants and trees. With every meal, I would order the honey and tea. It was so soothing and brought a renewed balance to my daily health.
Upon our departure, I shared with Lesse how much I enjoyed the honey. “It’s like a magical remedy with a unique flavor.” I told him. Lesse’s eyes lit up and a huge smile came over his face. I stopped talking and asked, “Lesse, why are you smiling?” He calmly picked up both of my hands and said, “You discovered the secret.” “The secret?” I said. “Yes,” he said, “the secret to the honey.”
As I pondered his words, I realized that he was right. There was something special about this honey. Lesse looked me in my eyes and said, “This honey is made here in the village with lemon and ginger, great natural remedies for many ailments. The other secret ingredient that makes this honey so unique is that it was made with love from the people of this village.”
I blurted out, “I understand the secret! Why did it take me so long?” Lesse again grabbed both of my hands and looked at me directly in the eyes and said, “It is never too late to open your heart to discover the secret.” All of a sudden, there was a rush of people preparing to get us to the vehicle so we would not miss our plane. With everything moving so rapidly, how would I be able to bring some of the honey with me for rest of our journey? “Hurry…Hurry …we have to go…” was being chanted in the background.
We all rushed down the hilly dirt path to our vehicle, revved up and waiting to take us to the plane. As we were saying our goodbyes with hugs, tears, and overwhelmingly thankful hearts, I heard my name being called from a distance. I looked up through my teary eyes, and it was Lesse running down the hill—with a jar of the special honey! He reached out with both hands and, as he placed the jar in my hands, he said, “Enjoy this gift throughout your journey and remember us always and the secret gift of love that is in this jar!”
I carefully took the jar from his hands, and wrapped it up in a soft t-shirt and packed it in my bag. I gave Lesse a hug and thanked him. “This will be a sweet memory, etched on my heart forever.” I ran to the car and quickly jumped in. Elias, a Massai Elder, began the rapid drive through the fields on dirt paths (and sometimes on no paths at all), to the airstrip to take our flight.
We could hear from a distance the buzzing of plane propellers signaling the next chapter of our journey.
