The lazy days of my childhood summers may be long gone, but
the memories are not. In the blink of an eye, it can seem like only yesterday.
Yesterday when we got to sleep late, stay up late and wile
away our days without a care in the world. Such fun memories of catching
lightning bugs (or some people call them “fireflies”) in a Skippy peanut butter
jar with holes poked in the lid so they could breathe. Our careless laughter
echoed in the warm summer nights as we pursued lightning bugs. We frolicked and
we chased, seeing who could catch the most. These tiny luminescent beings
guided us through the dark summer night, a miniature beacon of light flapping
their wings.
Once we were satisfied with our catch the hunt was over. Now
it was time to decide the winner. Who caught the most bugs? With the winner
determined, we could lie back in the soft grass and enjoy their show. Watching them dance and light up our jars was
sheer delight. We would imagine them
talking to each other as they danced for us. “What kind of dance are they
doing?” we wondered.
To sustain them through the night we added grass in their
jars. When it was finally time to turn in we gently placed our prized possession
by our bed as our very own night light. With a few more stolen glances, their
dances were our last memories before sleep overtook us and our eyes got heavy.
Upon waking our first order of business was to check on our
tiny dancers. Sadly, they weren’t usually lighting up anymore come morning. But
that didn’t stop us from trying again another night.
Oh, those lazy summer nights….
Stay tuned for more summer memories.
