Summer evenings are rife for firefly adventures. While I don’t recall spending many of my childhood evenings that way, I have always appreciated those moments as depicted in movies or favorite television shows. And I have fond memories here at this house in this quiet cul-de-sac type neighborhood of the first time we introduced our girls to the mesmerizing flickering of fireflies, sometimes also referred to as lightning bugs. I can recall their absolute delight and pure joy, especially when they learned how to coax one gently to land in their carefully cupped hands. For several summers when they were younger, we spent many evenings in our back or front yards watching in wonder the ways those little fireflies created a magical glow around us. Even more delightful was the way our girls would give them names for the brief time a lightning bug alighted in their small hands.
These days, we don’t spend as many summer evenings catching fireflies and so I was genuinely thrilled when my 17 year old asked seemingly out of the blue a few nights ago now if she could go out and catch fireflies. Apparently she had seen them outside our front window and was eager to experience that adventure once again. Since then, we have gone outside on a few different occasions, most recently after a nighttime drive where we saw glowing lightning bugs lighting the sides of the dark roads on our way home. Unfortunately, by the time we pulled into our driveway, we didn’t see very many around our yard. Still, my older teen wandered through a few different places and managed to spot several even though she wasn’t able to coax any into her hand.
While she was seeking out fireflies, my younger teen expressed a desire to take some photos of the last bits of the sunset. Because she only has an iPad, I asked her if she wanted to use the “big camera,” or my Canon DSLR and, with wide, excited eyes, she nodded. Until we realized the battery was dead and that photography adventure was going to have to be postponed. Instead, I handed her my iPhone and told her to go see what she could capture as I hunted down the battery charger. When I finally joined everyone outside, she eagerly approached me, wanting to share some of the photos she’d taken while I was still inside.
Enjoying the excitement, the delight, the wonder, the joy my teens experience in seemingly small and ordinary moments inspires a deep joy in me. My creative spirit finds life in their acts of creating and wonder. Add to that our little family gathering outside as the sun sets over the mountains in the distance and we seek out wonder in fireflies and photographs, and my heart was overflowing with love and with gratitude for these two remarkable young women. I find wonder and joy to be contagious to the point where it grows and multiplies when we get to share it.
Simple moments like this are wonders in and of themselves. As I caught the flickers and glimmers of the fireflies and as I scrolled through my girl’s photographs on my phone, I found myself steeped in wonder. In a world that is filled with so much fear and anger and pain and heartbreak and confusion, I am grateful for the simple moments that are like a balm to my sometimes weary soul. I count myself incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to catch fireflies with my teenagers or to hand them a camera and encourage them to catch what their eyes see. There truly is light in this world and I am grateful to see that these two amazing young women are drawn to the light.