When I was little I loved spending summer evenings outside catching lightning bugs (or bug lightnings as my brother, Jon, used to call them). My mom would give us a Mason jar to put them in and my dad would punch holes in the lid so the lightning bugs could breath. I would carefully position grass so that their temporary jar home was soft and so that they could hide but we would still see them. I loved turning off the lights and watching the glow come from the little jar. I remember my dad whispering “guys come see the fireworks” and we would gather on the front porch or the deck of the pool and just watch the lights that filled the trees and fields around our house. I have to say that nature’s little dancing lights are still my favorite fireworks show. My dad also taught me to love the early summer evenings when the frogs would sing. Whenever he heard them he would quiet everyone and we would just sit and listen for as long as we could. The flurry of moving lights coupled with the musical chirps and croaking still stirs my heart with a heady mix of memories and wonder. A few years ago I had the enchanting pleasure of getting to know a wonderful young lady from Northern Ireland. Watching her experience the whimsical dance of fireflies for the first time was one of the great joys of my life. I feel that same joy when my nieces or nephews beg to go outside and catch the little glowing orbs that float through the humid summer air or stop to listen to the rhythm of the frog and bug symphonies. I felt that same joy when I had the delightful honor of seeing some beloved Hawaiian friends experience snow for the first time. There is something precious in noticing the little graces that hover on the edges of our days. Whether it is a snowflake, a glowing insect or some other miniature miracle I encourage you to take time to notice and appreciate how fleeting and glorious these treasures are. What a marvelous God to make snowflakes so delicate, fireflies so luminescent and frog song so melodious. He could have made it all sterile and perfunctory but He gave us beauty instead. Beauty is not a necessity, it is a gift. I hope that wherever you find yourself you see the beauty in the small wonders and are filled with joy, delight, inspiration and praise to the loving Creator who fills our lives with wonder, if only we are willing to see it.