Every season has its own heralds. In spring we watch for the robins to return. In autumn we watch the leaves begin to change and the geese flying across the sky in their V formation. In winter we wait for the frost and snow and all the heralds of Christmas time. I think fireflies are one of the heralds for summer.
I just drove home with my windows down. The sun had gone down, and all that remained of the hot day was a mellow warmth. The wind in my car blew in the earthy scents and sounds of the night. I breathed deeply and did not speak.
Summer is bewitching. The first stars peeping through the misty clouds. The smell of warm grass, the flickering, swaying shadows of the trees. The song of the crickets, and the warm, mild breezes. As I turned into my neighborhood I heard the clicking and spraying of a water sprinkler. Its rhythm added to the charm of the evening.
"But where are the fireflies?" I wondered. "I don't think I've seen one yet!" I was just commenting on this to my sister when mid-sentence, I saw a flicker in my rearview mirror from someone's yard. "---Wait, I think I saw one!" I cried.
I looked into the people's yards as I passed them. There was another! And another! A twinkle here, a flash there, a glimmer out of the corner of my eye. Good heavens, they were everywhere! Had I just not seen them because I wasn't looking for them?
People say it's the little things that make life special, and I'm inclined to believe it. Often the big things turn out to be disappointing. It's the little things that peek out and surprise you that brighten your days, and our whole lives it's the same way. That smile from a stranger, or that note from a friend, or a cup of hot tea on a rainy morning.
Life is fleeting. The older I become, the faster the seasons fly by. I become so wrapped up in what's happening just ahead of me that I fail to look around and enjoy where I am, right here, right now. Things are always changing, and you can't stop the changes. Some are wonderful, some are heart-wrenching. In this strange world we live in, grief intermingles with joy, and tragedy with comedy.
I wonder. As a child of my heavenly King, this world is not my home. This world cannot satisfy me. Only He can. I must be on my guard against keeping this world in my daily focus. Life is so short. We only have so much time, and I don't want to spend most of it wrangling with problems that seem big at the time, but end up not really mattering. I need to enjoy where I am, and notice and take time to soak in all the delightful "little" joys that my Father sends my way. They are like the fireflies. Sometimes they surround you, but sometimes you have to be looking for them to see them. You don't notice fireflies during the day. They must be there, but we don't see them. God gives us countless "little" blessings throughout each day, but we often don't take time to notice them, or perhaps we take them for granted. Or even worse, we complain about them in our ingratitude. Sometimes it takes a dark time for us to remember to look for the little firefly blessings that light up our lives.
So, look for the fireflies! And remember to enjoy and to thank the Lord for all the blessings He gives us every day.
~Cadenza
I just drove home with my windows down. The sun had gone down, and all that remained of the hot day was a mellow warmth. The wind in my car blew in the earthy scents and sounds of the night. I breathed deeply and did not speak.
Summer is bewitching. The first stars peeping through the misty clouds. The smell of warm grass, the flickering, swaying shadows of the trees. The song of the crickets, and the warm, mild breezes. As I turned into my neighborhood I heard the clicking and spraying of a water sprinkler. Its rhythm added to the charm of the evening.
"But where are the fireflies?" I wondered. "I don't think I've seen one yet!" I was just commenting on this to my sister when mid-sentence, I saw a flicker in my rearview mirror from someone's yard. "---Wait, I think I saw one!" I cried.
I looked into the people's yards as I passed them. There was another! And another! A twinkle here, a flash there, a glimmer out of the corner of my eye. Good heavens, they were everywhere! Had I just not seen them because I wasn't looking for them?
People say it's the little things that make life special, and I'm inclined to believe it. Often the big things turn out to be disappointing. It's the little things that peek out and surprise you that brighten your days, and our whole lives it's the same way. That smile from a stranger, or that note from a friend, or a cup of hot tea on a rainy morning.
Life is fleeting. The older I become, the faster the seasons fly by. I become so wrapped up in what's happening just ahead of me that I fail to look around and enjoy where I am, right here, right now. Things are always changing, and you can't stop the changes. Some are wonderful, some are heart-wrenching. In this strange world we live in, grief intermingles with joy, and tragedy with comedy.
I wonder. As a child of my heavenly King, this world is not my home. This world cannot satisfy me. Only He can. I must be on my guard against keeping this world in my daily focus. Life is so short. We only have so much time, and I don't want to spend most of it wrangling with problems that seem big at the time, but end up not really mattering. I need to enjoy where I am, and notice and take time to soak in all the delightful "little" joys that my Father sends my way. They are like the fireflies. Sometimes they surround you, but sometimes you have to be looking for them to see them. You don't notice fireflies during the day. They must be there, but we don't see them. God gives us countless "little" blessings throughout each day, but we often don't take time to notice them, or perhaps we take them for granted. Or even worse, we complain about them in our ingratitude. Sometimes it takes a dark time for us to remember to look for the little firefly blessings that light up our lives.
So, look for the fireflies! And remember to enjoy and to thank the Lord for all the blessings He gives us every day.
~Cadenza
