Years ago my father-in-law made this gorgeous stained glass window to fit a port-hole window in our house. We’ve moved a few times since with that window boxed up and stored for later resurrection. This past August, I decided it was time to frame and hang it. I ordered a custom frame from Northern Hardwood Frames, a Minneapolis, Minnesota custom stained glass frame shop. Perfect, I thought, since my father-in-law met his wife, married, and started their family in Minnesota.
When visiting my in-laws in early September, I told him about the window and the frame I had ordered. He mentioned that he was thinking of selling his glass and supplies. I jumped at the chance to carry on his craft and bought a bunch of gorgeous glass he had collected over the years.
When the frame I had ordered arrived, my father-in-law was in the intensive care unit fighting sepsis. I pulled out the window hoping to frame and hang it for my husband, but a piece was broken and the lead stretched. The window was a metaphor for his state. Still beautiful, but needing repair. Fragile. Life and health, like this stunning window, are fragile. As I love and pray for my father-in-law, I cherish his window, and look forward to some day repairing it, framing it, and hanging it in a place of honor in our home. It represents for me the beauty, vibrancy and creativity of my father-in-law, the love he freely and generously gave, and the love he inspires.
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