FireFly
by Tammy Plummer
I had flown to Florida to see my best friend who was getting worse all the time from cancer. I had never flown before and and was quite anxious about the whole experience. I was also going through a divorce from an unhappy marriage of 20 years. It was Easter Sunday and my friends kids and grand kids had come over for the day. We were all sitting in the family room watching t.v. and I had this over whelming urge to cry. I did not know why but I knew I had to go out side before everyone thought I had lost my mind. The night before my friend and I had been sitting out on her patio and I asked her where the lightening bugs were. She said in all of the 10 years they had lived there she had never seen one and didn't give it much. She said for some reason they just were not in this climate.
Well, when I went outside the next night to keep from crying in front of everyone, I was standing in the backyard looking at the night sky and feeling so alone even though I had people who I knew loved me all around. Just as I turned and looked over the top of the house I say a lightening bug. It was shining so brightly and I was so surprised I called at once for my friend to come out at once. She came from the kitchen and just as she reached me the lightening bug flew down and touched me on the hand and flew off again. We both stood there for a few seconds with our mouths hanging open. She said if she hadn't seen it she would never have believed it. It was strange enough that such a small thing would happen so soon after me asking her about it but even more than that after the lightening bug had flown off I knew I was not alone at all and that I was very loved and everything would be just fine. I went back inside and told everyone else what had just happened, but it did not have the impact it had had on myself and my best friend. She has finally passed on this year after a long time of pain and suffering. Now I know she is happy and the two of us will always remember the story of my very own lightening bug. |
