We wait for them the way other families wait for fireworks. The first firefly over the pond grass is our unofficial start of summer.
The children sit on the porch steps with jars they do not use. Looking is enough. Catching can wait for another year, or never.
Grown-ups forget to talk. That is how we know it is working.
These small seasonal markers are the calendar we trust more than any planner: pancakes, fireflies, jam, and the first frost on the reeds.
