04/23/2026
Ten days ago, I wrote, “Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been absolutely fascinated by glass blowing. My parents loved artisan fairs and every time I’d find the guy (it was almost always a guy) making magic out of molten glass.
I’d watch him slowly turn the blowpipe, absolutely rapt by the glowing blob at the end as it grew into a bubble and then by the bubble as it began to take shape.”
I shared that last year Katie and I had won a glass blowing class in a raffle and that it was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more. I also shared that this past Christmas, my mom and her husband gave us gift certificates for another class, which we’d attended that day.
The glasses that we made had needed time in the annealer before we could take them home, so we left them in the hot shop. Katie picked them up a few days later, but we hadn’t seen each other since.
I can’t sugar-coat where I am right now. There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than I’m comfortable sharing, but suffice to say that things are about as messy in my personal world as they are in the larger one right now. I was not okay this morning.
But my girl texted and said that she had some time this afternoon. We could meet up, she could give me my glass, maybe have some lunch?
Many years ago, I filled out an intake form that asked a question:
“What heals you?”
I wrote, “My children’s laughter.”
And so it was that for a little while today, the noise was quieter. There was just me and Katie and lunch and tea and shopping and ice cream and, in the very best moments, peals of laughter.
Oh, and she gave me my glass.
You may not believe me, but if you hold it just right, you can see that inside its glass walls there’s a line of light, a trace of laughter, and just a little bit of healing magic.
{Image is a collage of photos of my glass from different perspectives because I couldn’t choose just one. It’s technically a tumbler, I think, but I really don’t know. They called it a stemless wine glass, but it’s definitely not that. It’s the size of a double old fashioned, if that helps.
Anyway, it’s clear glass that’s been dipped in white, pale blue, and royal blue frit (crushed glass) to make it speckled. I love that a few of the speckles made it up the side and sort of look like they’re trying to escape. It’s also slightly wonky on top, not perfectly round, which makes me exceedingly happy.}