🐝 Bee Free 🦋

By Sharrah Gardner

Today, I met four of the most powerful, beautiful Black young ladies I’ve ever encountered.

I had rehearsed, prepared, and prayed to meet 10–15 young men—young kings struggling with life and fighting for their freedom. But the Most High had another plan. Instead, I was blessed to sit with the only four young women in the facility. That alone felt divine.

I didn’t know what to expect. They entered the room with tough exteriors and tongues sharp with profanity. For about 15 minutes, they tested me. I remained still. I listened. I smiled.

And then the ice broke.

The very first question they asked me—each of them—was, “Do you believe in God?”

I gently told them that within the walls of the facility, I couldn’t speak about religion or politics. But they looked at each other, nodded in agreement, and said with full certainty:

“God sent you.”

“You’re going to be blessed for answering the call.”

My heart smiled.

That one hour felt like a lifetime. One of the longest hours I’ve ever endured—because I carry a fear I don’t often speak of. I’m claustrophobic. I’ve feared being locked in a jail cell my entire life. I imagine myself as a butterfly—meant to be free, wings never clipped, never confined.

But today, I walked into that place not to teach Bee Free, but to truly be free myself. These four young ladies—my new babies—freed me while still fighting for their own freedom.

I vow from this day forward to see them free. I vow to keep showing up. I vow to celebrate them.

All I have are their birthdates—and that’s all I need:

• 12/14

• 02/11

• 10/20

• 09/12

These are now sacred days in my year. From 2025 and beyond, I will celebrate only birthdays. No more Christmas. Birthdays mean they’re still here. They’re still becoming. They still have time.

There’s someone I love who always told me, “Celebrate people’s birthdays. It matters more than gifts under a tree.”

It took this moment—these girls—for me to finally understand that message.

Today, Thank You became my therapy.

And this is my Thank You to my new babies.