Flicker was a very little firefly, and sometimes he felt his light wasn't very bright. All the other fireflies in the meadow seemed to glow so much more! He worried his family wouldn't notice him.
One evening, Flicker’s mama firefly gathered all her little ones. “Tonight,” she said with a warm glow, “we’re going to play a game! We’ll all blink our lights, and see how far our combined glow can reach!”
Flicker blinked his little light, but it felt so small compared to his older brother’s and sister’s. He almost didn’t blink at all, thinking it wouldn’t make a difference.
But Mama Firefly noticed. “Flicker, darling, blink brightly! Every light is important.” She flew close and gently bumped noses with him. “Your light helps our family shine.”
So Flicker blinked with all his might. And as all the fireflies blinked together – Mama, Papa, his brothers, his sisters, and little Flicker – their lights created a beautiful, shimmering path across the meadow!
The light reached the sleepy flowers, the quiet pond, and even the tallest tree. It was the brightest glow the meadow had ever seen!
“Wow!” cried Flicker. “We made such a big light together!”
Papa Firefly smiled. “That’s because we’re a family, Flicker. Each of us, no matter how small our light, adds to the brightness. And when we work together, we can do amazing things.”
Flicker felt a warm glow inside, even brighter than his little light. He realized his family didn’t care how bright he shone individually, they loved him for being *him*, and his light was a special part of their family glow.
He snuggled close to his mama, feeling safe and loved. As he drifted off to sleep, Flicker knew that even the smallest light can shine brightly when surrounded by family. And that’s the best feeling of all.