Soaking in a hot tub under the starlit sky has always been one of my favorite ways of winding down. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness embracing me in our previous home’s backyard tub, I looked up and noticed the first twinkly star light.

Or so I thought.

Turns out it’s the first of the neighbor’s 4th of July fireworks heading heavenward a few days early.

Ooh-aah!

Throughout our tree branches, more and more sparkling is going on. But with no ka-boom.

That’s too low for star glow or fireworks, I think.

When the flashes of golden light seem to envelop our entire yard, it becomes clear that lightning bugs are providing their own fireworks display.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I leap out of the hot tub and slosh into the house to grab a Mason jar. I’m 6 years old again, scurrying around in the grass to scoop up some of the magic and wonder of the moment.

Jumping, twirling, diving, rejoicing when some sparkling critters find their way into my glass house.

Remember those days?

~Summer sleepovers with friends always included scampering out to capture Nature’s Nightlight

~Shushing each other’s giggles so as to not get caught

~Dozing off to their mesmerizing off-and-on’s right beside our pillows inside our sleeping bags

I turn off the lights inside the hot tub, place the twinkling firefly lantern on the nearby patio table, and settle back into the warming bubbles.

Ooh-aah!

************

Are you capturing your twinkly, sparkly child-like wonder moments to share & preserve, whether 4th of July related or otherwise? Maybe they involve fireworks, family reunions, or summer camp.

Or perhaps you get energized by remembering a time when you looked or felt particularly sparkly. (Oh, I just saw myself at the Symphony Belle Ball. That’s a story for another day’s posting!)

Ready to start uncovering and capturing your stories that matter?

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***And check out the synchronistic firefly show that happens in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park each summer. Somehow we missed it when we lived near Gatlinburg, but I’m adding it to my Bucket List!

Tennessee fireflies: A summertime light show

JOYfully jotting,

Katie

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Your Legacy of Memories Mentor

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