A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream
As twilight falls, as we approach August, the little sparks of light appear nightly… fireflies, lightening bugs, glow worms, whatever one chooses to call them. They start early in July– one sees a few sparks here and there but as July draws to a close, twilights dawn with a display of tiny fireworks. Why do they hold such fascination for young and old alike? Why do they bring us such a sense of wonder as they flicker on and off in some rhythm unknown to us but sparkling in communication with one another?
Of course I remember, like everyone else, catching fireflies. It was a ritual my Sicilian grandfather reenacted with me every summer. Grandma would save me a peanut butter jar, nicely washed with little holes in the top she made with an old-fashioned can opener. Grandpa and I would go out for an after-dinner walk, a treat in itself. It was a journey with a purpose, a hunt to catch those bugs whose tail ends light up, on and off, I learned later, to signal mates.
Grandpa always managed to catch one and we would walk home victorious, with me clutching my precious jar with my favorite kind of bug residing within. There was the exciting story we would tell Grandma and she would give me a lettuce leaf in case the bug should be hungry in the night. Then to bed. And then the real waiting began… lying in the dark with the jar on the bedside table waiting for my captive bug to alight. I would wait and wait but no flickering light appeared and before long I would fall asleep in the arms of disappointment.
It was even worse in the morning. The lightening bug did not look well. His antennae would be damp and sticking to the jar in a bad way. He was not eating the lettuce leaf. And this was my first lesson in the perils of capturing and imprisoning a creature. They did not behave like they did when free. Finally in a child’s form of despair, I would let him go and he would leave so much the worse for wear.
Years later, on my husband’s great aunt’s farm in Ohio, the trees would be filled with lightening bugs mating. It was a sight I had never seen. Whole trees would light up at once and upon close examination one would find hundreds of fireflies. It was a cathedral of flickering lights that brought awe as we beheld the mystery with our hearts.
And now, living in a converted barn which allows many bugs to enter despite window screens, the lightening bugs within are no longer in a jar but free to fly about our house. They bring sheer delight as they light up in the darkness of our bedroom. I am a child again with my beloved grandfather, though now I no longer want to capture the mystery as I stay awake as long as possible, watching the little flickering lights inside the room and outside in the trees. I think of simpler days and after dinner walks with Grandpa. I think a lot of my grandparents, but in the nostalgia, the magic of this tiny bug amazes still. And the magic brings joy as we share it with our children, our grandchildren, our beloved, anyone who can watch with us this Midsummer Night’s dream.
MOONSIDE 
Indeed, freedom allows us to be more of ourselves and thus shine more of our light. Wonderful lesson from the natural realm. Thank you, dear Ellen, for this post—full of beauty, essence, and meaning. The video is awesome too! I never saw fireflies live, though I had the privilege of watching Noctilucas, let’s say an equivalent of the fireflies in the ocean. Quite an extraordinary spectacle! Thank you for all the magic you brought through this share. Much enjoyed! Lots of light, love, and blessings to you, my friend 🙏✨🌈
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July 29, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Thank you, Susana. Fireflies are awesome!! Glad to introduce them to you. I didn’t make the video. Found it on YouTube. So glad the message resonated as you always say. 🌹🌻🌼🌸🦠🌳
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July 29, 2025 at 8:07 AM
I have similar cherished memories. Thank you for the reminder, Ellen. 🌻
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July 29, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Oh, so glad to remind you of your good memories, dear Sunnyside! 🙏🏽
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July 29, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Lovely lights of fireflies inviting familial reminiscing and nightly wonders to share. Childhood joys can still light us within.
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July 29, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Yes, they can. Meant to tell you I was so interested in a past comment you made about doing art therapy at some point in your life. How wonderful!! I studied it a little but never finished my studies to do it. Congratulations to you!
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July 29, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Thank you, Ellen. It was the healing arts of Reiki and Sound therapy that I created a clinic for my students to develop their skills and included therapists with other skills. Now in it’s 20th year after I led them the first 7 years.
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July 29, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Wonderful!! I did Reiki, too, for awhile but not much but I did do it for the victims of 9/11 which I felt was a privilege but you really made a great contribution!!! Hats off to you! Sound therapy, too. Sounds great!!
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July 29, 2025 at 1:30 PM
It is a privilege to work with those in need. And, good for you as well. We share in the glow of transmitting well being and relief.
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July 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Exactly… it is a privilege but I did very little. I will never forget one guy though after 9/11 who soaked up Reiki like a sponge. You must have had many such experiences!! Great!!!
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July 29, 2025 at 2:10 PM
This is one of your most beautiful essays, Ellen …and you have made many. I can remember seeing fireflies outside the window, swirling around the blackberry bushes, at my parents little cabin up north. I wish there were some here in the suburbs, but there aren’t so I will have to savor the memories of them instead. ✨
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July 29, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Thank you so much, Julie!! Glad you liked it. We don’t have fireflies near us in the city either but my memories are clear of childhood and, as an adult, in our upstate barn which is long gone now.
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July 29, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Our memories are precious, Ellen. We have to hold onto them tight! 💖
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July 30, 2025 at 1:19 PM
You’re so right, Julie! They are precious! ❣️🙏🏽
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July 30, 2025 at 1:47 PM
The awe and wonder of these tiny bugs being able to produce light on their own still amazes me. As a child, we would sit on our back porch and watch them light the sky with a wonderful incandescence that always managed to thrill us. Thank you for the memories.
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July 29, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Glad you enjoyed the memories, Dayle!
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July 29, 2025 at 12:23 PM
You brought me there, Ellen! To your grandparents’ home, your husband’s great aunt’s farm. and the converted barn. Memories aglow with fireflies. So true, they flicker in some “rhythm unknown to us but sparkling in communication with one another.” I especially loved the “cathedral of flickering lights”. What a wondrous, unforgettable sight that must have been! Beautiful writing!
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July 29, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Thank you so very much, Dee! It WAS unforgettable. Thanks so much for commenting on the language!!
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July 29, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Your reflections on lightning bugs have triggered fond memories of my youth. On hot summer nights, we’d capture them, let them light up inside our cupped hands, and then release them. Children have such an awe of nature. As we get older and “used to things,” we lose it. Thank you for reviving my intrigue, Ellen. 🙂
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July 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Honored to do so, Nancy! Thank you!
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July 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
You’re welcome, Ellen. 😁
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July 31, 2025 at 8:10 AM
😁
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July 31, 2025 at 8:34 AM