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| FIREFLIES IN THE NIGHT |
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God ... giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 1 Timothy 6:17B
Last night D.H. (Dear Husband) and I sat on our back porch and watched the water in the small lake just beyond us ripple as the fireflies came out. We then noticed the silhouettes of three deer in the moonlight munching grass in a neighbor's backyard. I sighed deeply several times and silently gave thanks to God once again for moving us to this beautiful small rural valley.
In the Cool of the Evening
Something of the joy I experienced in my youth returned to me. Back then there was much porch-sitting in the cool of the evening. My grandmother was usually shelling peas or cracking pecans. The rest of us sat quietly, talking little, just enjoying being together and watching nature's unfolding beauty as the sky turned various shades of dark. The best part was when the fireflies would appear and randomly light up, as if by magic. They were so plentiful back then, we kids would run around catching them and filling Mason jars.
They Seemed Extinct
Fast forward several years and they seemed to have disappeared. D.H. and I often talked about why we didn't see them anymore. They seemed to have become extinct, at least in our part of the world. He blamed fire ants. After hearing about someone buying ladybugs online, I thought about searching the Internet to see if they were available for sale anywhere. But I never did, and now I don't have to.
Twinkling on a Dark Hill
Twice lately we have walked to the back of our community at dark, flashlight in hand. There, where the cultivated property ends at a creek on one side and a ranch on the other, hundreds of fireflies on the dark hill beyond stand out against dark cedar and live oaks, twinkling like tiny Christmas lights, randomly blinking.
D.H. just read an article in the newspaper that in another part of the world - and only in that one place - there are fireflies that blink all at the same time. Everywhere else they blink randomly: here one and there another, all darting around leaving a light trail behind.
I've always liked watching lush darkness fall upon the waiting world but, without the fireflies of my youth, the joy hasn't been there ... until now. Sigh. Thank you, Lord!
Photo by Christine Wainwright |
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| To add a comment to "FIREFLIES IN THE NIGHT" |
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| June 07, 2007 |
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| I live in Ohio and I have only ever called them lightening bugs. Either way, when they appear, we know that summer is truly here. Thanks for sharing! |
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| June 08, 2007 |
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| Love lightning bugs.God sent us a message of hope&relying on Him through lightning bugs.Our family was broke down( 3rd time) in an R.V.nicknamed the beast.We were in PA.on our way to Creationfest.My husbands working on the beast...again.Everything is quiet,even the kids.Suddenly our 5yr old starts shouting very enthusiastiacally.it's beautiful,it's beautiful.We're like what could be beautiful right now.There were 2 huge fields on either side of us in the middle of no mans land & God filled those fields with a zillion lightning bugs.Breathtaking beyond words.It was the highlight of the trip. |
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| June 08, 2007 |
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PsalmsGirl, Racunpool, "Warm fuzzies - breathtaking beyond words." You are exactly right! I loved writing and remembering - thanks for joining in with me. I was afraid to tell of the golf course next to the motel we stayed in one time, not quite in your fix, racunpoodle, but exhusted, and how it felt to look out and see the world filled w/a zillion twinkling bug-lights. I thought no one would believe me. Now I know at least two people who would! Jay |
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| June 08, 2007 |
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| Yep, wonderful memories. I remember catching lightning bugs in the evening as the dark came on. It seems we never tired of doing that. Nice blog, nicely formatted too! ~mike |
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| June 09, 2007 |
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| My daughter and I looked out at the field next to our house last night and saw a few, and I thought of your blog. I also noted that they weren't all that numerous. Maybe further out into the country they are..... ~mike |
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| June 10, 2007 |
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Mike n Laura, Psalms Girl - Yes, there's nothing else quite like those little flashes of light in the night, except maybe an awesome sunset or a double rainbow. Thanks for sharing your experiences and your kind comments. Jay |
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