My oldest brother, Sammy, is a blown and stained glass artist. I remember when I was really young, going to his workshop where he would lay out what looked like shards of colored glass, and then he would lead around them and they would become magical pieces of art. There are 18 or so years between Sammy and me, he being my oldest brother. I’ve always admired his art. And, quite frankly, I’ve always dreamed of one day blowing glass myself.
A couple of weeks ago, Frank arranged the perfect day-date. He made arrangements for me to work one-on-one with Jake, the owner of Hot Glass Alley in north Charlotte. Jake is about 35, and caught the glass-blowing bug when he saw the process at an open-air market in Bermuda when he was 13. He was apprenticing for free when he was 15 in his hometown of Rochester, NY. Later, he would attend RIT and earn his MFA in glass art. About seven years ago, he relocated down here to escape the cold and the snow, and he opened his own studio. And it is fantastic. Being fall, one of the projects on the list to choose from was making a pumpkin. I was able to pick two colors for the pumpkin and one for the stem. I chose royal blue, lime green, and gold.
Jake was patient and informative. He walked me through every step, and I ended up with a piece of glass that I LOVE. And now I can’t wait to go again.
We decided the following weekend to put up Christmas. I enjoy the warmth of the tree lights so much, and a month just doesn’t feel long enough. I’m so happy we did.
And I’m glad we did both those things when we did them. Because last week I came down sick. Sick-sick. What started as a head cold has moved straight into an upper respiratory infection. I have an appointment today at the Minute Clinic, and fingers crossed, I’ll get some meds. Especially since this coming week is Thanksgiving, and I refuse to miss out on the fun with Mel and her family.
Finally, Cathy will join us again for Christmas!! She is doing relatively well, overall. The tumor in her lung has not yet shrunk from the injections, but it has not continued to grow, either. And that is definitely praiseworthy!! She still coughs from time-to-time, but nothing like last year this time. I am still optimistic that this is the right treatment to keep her on! I cannot wait to have her home.
Finally, a thank you to my sweet friend, Lacey. She co-hosts our Saturday morning Bible study, and she happens to be just amazing at all. the. things! She made chicken and dumpling soup for me. Which has been such a welcome meal, several times a day while I’m trying to heal. I’m not great at accepting help, but she was so sweet about wanting to do this for me, I couldn’t resist. And I’m so glad I didn’t.
It’s Sunday today, and I am especially thankful for Church from home. I’ll be tuning in to New River’s sermon in a little less than two hours. Will you join me? https://www.newriver.church/messages
Shrinking Shay 