The end of another school year is here and as we all catch our breath after what feels like a whirlwind from spring sports, end of year concerts, teacher gifts and commencement ceremonies, it can feel like there is no time to breathe. No time to take it all in and reflect on what just happened. You think to yourself “I’ll slow down during the summer.”
Then summer hits and it can feel like the days bleed together seemingly with no structure or rhythm. There is freedom in that and in some ways the days can blur together just as the busy days of spring. You can easily miss the opportunity to pause, be still, and reflect.
Then one night you notice it, a firefly catches your attention as you walk into your house after yet another summer day has come and gone. Once you notice one you look around and realize they are all around you. You look across the yard and notice the beautiful light show that has been right in front of you all along.
It happens every year and every year it truly is magic, summer magic. It is a beautiful metaphor for life and a beautiful image of God’s love for us all. You can easily miss it if you don’t take the time to notice it. We can let the days blur together, we can wonder where God is when we feel the weight of the relentlessness that is life.
When we take the time to slow down, catch our breath and take it all in, the magic is there around us just as it was all along, just like God’s love for us all. It is there always showing up as little glimmers of light in the summer night sky.