The Saturday Journal: Lightning Bugs

tathelmillerwriter
Jun 7
3 min read

A sure sign summer has officially arrived--each night at twilight--these tiny pops of light rise from the damp grass--they wait all day--for this magical hour where the night creatures sing hush and the moon whispers--go ahead--dance in my glow--it's your time.

On many summer nights us kids--we would watch from the window and the first glance was almost as good as waking up on your birthday. And we would holler, the lightning bugs are out! Get the jars!!

Mama would yell, are you barefoot? Watch for snakes! You can't see them in the dark! And it never failed--one of us couldn't find our jar. You see, we didn't have one of those fancy bug kits. We had something better! Ball jars--glass baby food jars--always with a lid and always with breathing holes.

And when we couldn't find our jars--Mama would yell at us again--not in an angry tone, but more of commanding "you better know".

Don't use any of my big canning jars!! Use a small one!! And wait for your Daddy to punch the holes!! I'm not taking you to the hospital tonight!

I watched an interview with an entomologist this week--a North Carolina entomologist and he had this childlike smile about him when he spoke about his study of what he called, 'the firefly'. Now this educator looked a tad bit older than me and when he spoke, his voice rang the southern bell of accents. And I was like--Sir, please tell me you called them lightning bugs as a child...like me...like my brothers and sister...like my kids.

He told about the many species of "fireflies" and how they weren't really "flies"--they belong to the beetle family. He said North Carolina has close to forty different species of these fireflies and these little beetles spend about two years growing underground until they are fully grown and then they emerge--their lights glowing.

Now, there were rules to this "Lightning Bug Game" and Daddy and Mama would sit out on the porch some evenings watching us catch these little winged bugs--making sure we followed the rules.

--Again, watch for snakes!

--Grass in the jar--in case the lightning bugs get hungry

--Don't slap your hands together trying to catch them. You know why.

--Gently cup your hands together

--After you catch the lightning bug--slowly drop it into the jar

--Don't catch too many

--If you take them into the house--in your rooms--close the lid tight.

--And the next morning, the lightning bugs--Always, they will be set free. Outside.

Another entomologist added to the story--she shared her love for the fireflies--her knowledge. And then she said this, 'when the fireflies emerge from the ground as adults after two years--they only live about three weeks.'

I hit pause on the story--and silence came. Three weeks--only three weeks. This special little beetle who God created--this tiny winged bug--he or she prepares for two years to let their light shine for just a little while.

And I thought to myself--if I had known this as a child--that a lightning bug only lived for three weeks--would it have made a difference? How I saw the wonder--the magic of these little creatures with tails that glow?

I doubt it. To a child--they live in the joy of the moments--not the worries of tomorrow. Time is never measured in hours or days or weeks. And three weeks of summer is like an eternity--to a child.

It was back almost twenty years ago. I was taking photos for a college assignment with my new camera and I told Daddy I wanted to try and get some photos of the lightning bugs--in the field--maybe even in a jar. And just before dusk on that evening--here came Daddy--a new jar in hand and the breathing holes--perfectly punched.

Tonight, the summer sky is black--streaks of light flash in the distance. And I look out in the field and there they are--twirling--blinking--glowing. I want to run barefoot--take my treasure of Daddy's

rusty jar--join in their dance--but the storm is too close. And I wonder--is this day one or day twenty-one--their first or their last?

And I realize, it doesn't matter to them--their light shines bright--regardless the day...