Other Lovely Things

Last night, the dog and I took a walk well after sundown, and I was delighted to have my first sighting of fireflies this season. And once I noticed the first one, I realized they were everywhere—in the field by the elementary school, in neighbor’s yards, and even in our own.

Do you call them fireflies or lightning bugs? I know it typically varies by region, but the maps aren’t clear about what most Marylanders call them. Graham and I both remember them as lightning bugs from our childhood days in Georgia, but they’re fireflies to me now!

Whatever their name, I suspect, and hope, I will never tire of the simple pleasure of watching them, enjoying the whimsical twinkling lights on a summer evening, feeling a little endorphin rush when one lights up.

Serendipitously, as Lucy and I rounded the corner to return home, I came to the end of the first season’s final episode of UUCC’s podcast, Rooted & Reaching.* In closing, Sara Davidson said, “May your summers be filled with hugs, venturing back out into the world, and other lovely things.”

May your summer be filled with … other lovely things.

Those words have been on my mind ever since I heard them. They feel like an invitation. Or a blessing. Or even an admonition—Pay attention, Paige, to the abundance of lovely things … available to you if only you take notice!

Already I’m noticing that one of our tomato plants is beginning to bear fruit, and yellow flowers have just appeared on a cucumber plant. And there’s a bird in the nest of the lilac bush out front. And when I returned to a nearby lake for an early-morning walk this week, it was lovely to see familiar faces who’d noticed my absence in recent months. (I’d missed them, too.) And the goslings and ducklings don’t look like babies anymore. And it’s almost peach season.

And … so many lovely things. I need only to take notice.

May your summer, too, be filled.

Love,
Paige

* This Rooted & Reaching episode features outgoing UUCC President Tim Lattimer. I very much appreciated Tim’s thoughtful reflections about his years on the Board of Trustees, and especially this pandemic year. In its lifetime, UUCC has been well-served by many dedicated leaders, and I’m especially appreciative of the 2020-21 Board, who led us through an entirely virtual congregational year. Thank you, Tim, Colette, Kristin, Jim, Wendy, Sarah, and Amy. You have been a blessing.