firefly magic

According to the news, the fireflies are out in force as it's mating season. The girls, they say, sit quietly in the grass, while the boys display their flashy tails trying to get their attention. I've always been fascinated by the fireflies, and love the fact that they're flourishing - and mating - in my backyard. We used to call them lightning bugs. And as savage as this sounds, after catching them in a jar, we liked to pull off the little lights and make sparkling jewelry from thier lights. Okay...not such a nice thing to do. I'd never do it now. But I gotta say it was fun at the time. I didn't think much about the insect lives I was taking.

There is some sort of magic in it all...the way they cast their spell on an ordinary night. I makes me think that somewhere in the universe, the source of all creation is winking and wearing a big smile. Come to think of it, there are lots of bits of magic right in front of our faces. The simple fact that flowers bloom, the wings of hummingbirds move at alarming speeds, and the moon and gravity determine the rise and fall of the tides. And then there's love...the way one heart seeks out another and finds its home. And from this love, babies are made. Minute cells multiply and become another little human with sparkling eyes. These little humans see the magic. Every day is an adventure. All is new and nothing is overlooked.

Each day I am grateful for Scout, and the opportunites he shares with me. He lets me see the magic that for awhile went unnoticed. Through his eyes, the world is a great amusement park, one in which he takes me by the hand and says, "Isn't this amazing, Mommy?"