The Firework.

As I walked with my 3 and 7 year old boys across the playground yesterday on the way to school we found a used firework that had landed there over the weekend.

What seemed to me as a soggy old firework, dirty and useless, to 3 year old Edward and 7 year old Ben it took on a whole new vision. ''we could launch a playmobil man into space'' Ben said. Edward then thought he would like to visit the moon. Ben worked out that Edward could hold on tightly to it as it was launch, but Daddy would have to light it as that a dangerous job.

After school the excitement of visiting space was still on the boys minds and we agreed to go and but a small pack of rockets to let of in the garden. The boys watched on in ore as each rocket was lite, launched and then exploded in the sky.

The Firework that we had found in the playground that day, seemed useless, no good for anything but the bin. It seemed to have had its day and having done what it was intended to do had landed in our path and was no use to anyone.

Then with a bit of clever thinking by two little boys had become a whole new adventure, a trip to the moon. New life seemed to have been put in to the dead firework and resulted in a mini firework extravaganza in our garden.

We can feel that our life has no use, and we can seem empty and have no future. Maybe we feel that we have been like that firework, once ready to launch and hit the heights where we have exploded into a bright display of light. Then come back down to earth with a bump, not good for anything anymore and only good to lay a rot away in a cold wet puddle.

But maybe that not where the story ends, and we can once again have new life (sometimes in a different way) and in the right hands with the right mind we can once again become full of life ready to launch to new heights once more.