“Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul.” —Simone Weil

Luminous clouds of fireflies light up the evening garden in many parts of the world where there is enough cool damp habitat for them to live during the day. When darkness falls the fireflies rise, light up, and drift like stars with wings to the tops of the trees,.

The accepted theory is that fireflies, or lightning bugs, flash for sex. The males light up as they fly, while the females sit on a twig or leaf and flash at the males. After the two signal each other several times, the male lands to mate. During the 1940s, some human sweethearts used to capture fireflies to signal their love to the world. The boys would put fireflies in their pockets to flare like a heartbeat when they walked with their girlfriends.

Fireflies, simply by being themselves, increase delight in our lives. They spark the light of spontaneous joy we all contain, even when we don’t know it. They may be lighting up someone’s life, right now. The mere thought of them can light up yours.