Thursday was my midweek day off with my new part-time status at work. I spent the morning drawing book illustrations like this one which is still a work in progress.
It was good to have an extra day at home with the chickens. One of the things I have at home but not at work is someone to jump up in the air and flap like crazy when they see me. But that’s what Pearl does almost every time I open the back door. She is the only one of my chickens who still does this.
But that is Pearl, my silly and ridiculously lovable Pearl.
Mid afternoon, I went out and sat under the camellias and read the newspaper. It began to rain about the time I turned to the comics page. The girls were plenty dry in their sheltered run, and I was only getting a few drops under the thick canopy of decades-old camellias. So we all settled in to wait it out. But Pearl seemed to be waiting for something special.
And then it happened, something totally unexpected for me but something I sensed my chickens knew would happen. They had seen it before on rainy late afternoons like this when I was away at work.
As the sky darkened from denser clouds, the fireflies began to come out. There were only a few at first, flashing on and off, dodging the raindrops. Any other day, they would not have appeared until late evening, three or four hours later. But there they were, more and more of them, dancing around us, bringing unexpected joy as the world grew darker if only because of a passing shower.
Now I understand much better why Pearl enjoys them, these little light-bearers, so much. She is a light-bearer too whenever she jumps up in the air and flaps her wings. I have to smile when I see her, no matter how cloudy my day may have been. She brings me joy.
Without a doubt, Pearl is one of my best egg-layers. But to me it’s not her most important job. Her best job is being a light-bearer. It’s what she was made to do, I think, and perhaps it is what we are all meant to do.
She looked into my eyes, hoping what I said was the truth, hoping to find her most needed answer there.
“I am out of jokes and silly hats and silly anything. How can you still love me?”
“I love you all the more, Pearl, when you have nothing to share except your heart.”
from “How To Explain Christmas To Chickens”
Often we are the only light some people have. So jump up in the air. Flap your wings.
Dance with your own unique light.
Share your heart.
Lately I have not been as good about reading posts here on WordPress as I would like to be. I worry about missing some really great posts. (I think I am about two weeks behind. Ouch!)
So if you have something that you’ve posted recently you are particularly fond of and shares your own unique light, why not give me a link or two in the comments below? That way I will be sure not to miss it, and others who read here can find you better! (And it might just send some “likes” and “follows” your way from new readers!)
I also saw lightning bugs before a rainstorm last night! The storm never actually reached us, but the lightning behind the clouds blazing on and off some miles away to the north of Kendal, was amazing to see. Light bearers of all sorts- how we need them. Let your light so shine…..
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How terrific! They are little miracles!
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Another lovely post. I miss fireflies.
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Thanks! They were one of the first delightful discoveries that I made when I bought my house more than a dozen years ago. Are there none where you live now?
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None here in CA. We see them in Central Park at dusk when we’re in NYC in the summer, but, sadly, we won’t be there this summer. Enjoy yours!
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I’ve never seen fireflies.. It would sure be a treat. My writing is far and very few, but inspiration comes once and a while.
https://inotherwordsandpictures.wordpress.com/2019/06/25/traveler/
Your stories are special..
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Very nice poem, Mother Hen. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
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You are welcome!
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We moved to the country (or a small town that’s more country than where we lived before) a few months ago and I’m finally seeing lightening bugs or fireflies again! It’s exciting! I could do without being told there is a bear and her cubs wandering our neighborhood however ….
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Fireflies, wonderful! A bear and her cubs, yikes!
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Yeah.. yikes… I still haven’t seen them but I keep looking
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Great post! 🌸
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Thank you so much! And thanks for reading and commenting!
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Great post as always. Some of my posts are from a blog I did a couple of years ago called “Journey toward Wholeness” about my experience in a time of increased anxiety and depression. (I dropped it because I couldn’t keep up with 2 blogs.) I call those posts “Journey Reblogs.” One I’ve done recently is https://triciajots4jesus.wordpress.com/2020/06/17/learning-in-the-struggle-journey-reblog-12/
(I tried to copy the link, but it just pastes in as text. I’m sorry.)
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What a great post! “Understanding that I could choose to believe God no matter how I felt.“ That is HUGELY important! Thanks for sharing your journey and helping others along the way!
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I see that it turned to a link when I posted. I have a lot to learn!
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No worries! 🙂
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What a fascinating story! You have taught me so much about chickens. We have tons of fireflies but I have never seen them come out except at night…..interesting!
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Thanks so much!
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Great story about light in our lives. I have never witnessed fireflies showing up during the darkness of a rainstorm, but I know I can always count on seeing the light shining on these wise chickens, especially Pearl.
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Thanks, my friend. It was something I hadn’t expected to see. They must have thought night came early!
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