I saw my first lightning bug of the season the other night.  It was a stray, advance guard, renegade firefly and flew right at me.  Soon the nights will be filled with their twinklings; kids will chase them, and perhaps put them in ventilated jars for a one-night nightlight.

Fireflies, which we grew up calling lightning bugs, are simply amazing.  They are known as a bioluminescent species, and may be the only one that shines intermittently.  More good scientific info about them can be found here. 

Fireflies have always been beautiful and mysterious to me, but just two years ago they served as a magical sign for a devastated family.  When our 31-year-old son died suddenly – likely due to problems associated with his acromegaly (giantism) – we didn’t see it coming.  His siblings were dispersed across the country, and we began the painful process of informing each of them by phone.  Unable to sleep that night, Bill and I finally turned the lights out after midnight. As we settled into bed, we saw a strange glowing light on the ceiling above us. It turned out to be a firefly, although it was early in the season and fireflies had generally not yet appeared. We let it wink at us the rest of the night, and agreed it was a sign from Billy.

That very evening, 150 miles distant, Bill's sister Becki and her husband Joe took an evening walk while discussing Bill's life. A single firefly accompanied them!

Sister Rachel, honeymooning with her new husband Brandon, found a single firefly visiting their tent on the beach at Padre Island in Texas!

And the morning of Bill's funeral service, in true family fashion, a firefly was fighting with the girls for space in the bathroom.  

And so now fireflies remind us of Bill - he brought his light into our world for a brief time, and we really enjoyed the show!