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Dawn's NotesChasing Fireflies In The Dark The night was warm with little breeze and no rain. I could imagine the lights of the fireflies blinking on-off, on-off against a dark sky. Perhaps they danced here and there, as my grandson chased them! As I cooked, I remembered what it was like to chase lightning bugs in my younger years, how they would “blink” their lights, how I would run to the spot I had seen the light to find the firefly gone or just out of my grasp, making it impossible to actually get my hands on the little critter! I still remember accidently squashing a lightning bug, the weird smell, and how sometimes their “lights” stayed on even after they were smashed. Would the lightning bugs be too high over my grandson’s head, just out of his reach? Perhaps they would move too fast for him, too illusively. Maybe they would blink their “good-byes” as they flew to the next yard, to “off-limits” for him! After a short time, Will came back into the kitchen with an empty jar, tired of chasing fireflies in the dark. I realized that chasing the illusive little bugs must have been a daunting task for such a young child. His adventure, to my regret, had ended in disappointment, and I felt badly I had been too busy to help, had missed an opportunity! “Another time,” I promised myself, “I’ll help him catch fireflies!” Many of us have pleasant, childhood memories of chasing fireflies, of making firefly nightlights! But have you ever thought about just what causes these little bugs to literally “glow in the dark?” Did you know they “light up” due to a process called bioluminescence, a complex process involving chemicals, an enzyme, and oxygen combining at just the right moment? And all “the action” takes place in the tummies of the fireflies. Not being a chemist, I will not even attempt to explain how it all happens, but a few other living organisms, particularly in the marine world, also have the ability to “light up.” Fascinating—the wonders our world holds! Perhaps there are lessons we can learn from chasing fireflies. One lesson—their lights shows up best in a dark sky—the darker the better! Catching fireflies is easier and more fun if there is someone to help you. And, yes, one can find “light” again after a loss—life can be happy again even though life will undoubtedly be different! When we lose someone we love, our “sky,” may look extremely dark, coal black, daunting, scary, and unfamiliar. We may feel we are “going outside our own yards” when we venture to try something new, but having a friend by our side may be very helpful! After losses, broken hearts can heal, and “light” can again be found against a dark sky. In time, little by little, if we strain our eyes, we begin to see tiny little flickers, tiny glimmers of light and hope! Then hopefully “the lights” will become clearer, brighter, closer, within our grasp as more lights illuminate our darkness. So search for ways to help your heart heal, and whatever you do, Call about the next "Living Life after Loss" Group at: Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW, Group Facilitator |
