Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Catching Fireflies...

Azalea has been very interested in the fireflies lately. Perhaps it's because I'll go out on the deck and stare at them until the last one blinks out. Early yesterday evening we went out to capture some fireflies in a Mason jar. We had fun running around and chasing flashes of light, but also had some serious conversations. We talked about life and death and why it is important to be gentle with small creatures. At the end of the evening, when it started to get really dark, we stood on the porch and released the fireflies into the night... a twinkling stream of winged things.

7 comments:

Nicki said...

You're sweet.
Nicki

TesoriTrovati said...

Azalea is learning so much from your gentle interaction with her. And what a wonderful teachable moment you had. But more than that, she will ever remember that you took the time to chase fireflies in the dark with her and set them free to fly again. Wonderful! Enjoy the day, Andrew! Erin

norma said...

Oh Andrew, what a good uncle you are. Cathcing fireflies brings back such wonderful childhood memories for me. Azalea will always remember that special moment with you. Take care!

Unknown said...

What a lovely wonderous childhood this little one has with you as her Uncle and her parents...she is so Blessed! xx

Gaea said...

What a wonderful moment! I wish we had fireflies out here on the west coast! Thanks for the photo! If we ever make it to an area with them, we'll know what they look like!

Unknown said...

I love Azaela stories. They are always the best.

Andrew Thornton said...

Sometimes it hard just being an uncle and not being a parent of my own children. So every now and then, it is nice when there's a moment like this. It's not an easy one. Telling a child that their hands are killing the creatures that they are so curious about isn't easy. But this moment will last a long time, hopefully and that whenever she sees fireflies, she'll remember me just a little.