Goodness Unveiled

Some of my earliest memories are of watching my mom create stained-glass windows. I remember the way she carefully cut the glass, the strips of metal she soldered with her tools spread across the table. I remember her warning us to be careful, telling us not to touch the hot metal. I was probably 4 or 5 when I remember visiting a new housing development where one of her stained-glass windows had been installed above a bathtub. The area was still under construction, with only a few houses built, but somehow, I knew exactly which area of town we were in.

My mom passed away when I was only seven years old and we had no stained-glass pieces of hers left. But years later, when my siblings and I moved out and got married, my dad gave us boxes of things he had saved. In one of those boxes, we found blueprints of her designs. As we looked through them, one stood out immediately—it was the same window design I had seen above that bathtub as a child.

For years, every time I drove through the area I remembered, I would look at the houses, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. I often wonder if my career in real estate was, in some way, influenced by that quiet search—an unconscious hope that one day, I’d find that window again.

Then, in 2021, while helping my aunt prepare to sell her home and move out of state, the topic of my mom’s stained-glass windows came up again. Something made me dig through the blueprints once more. This time, I discovered two file folders with addresses on them. How had I missed this for so many years? Inside were invoices, Parade Home details, and wallpaper swatches—swatches that matched the hand-drawn blueprints my mom had created. Later, my dad explained that in the late ’80s, while he was working as a trim carpenter for builders preparing Parade homes, they had asked my mom to design stained-glass windows to complement their wallpaper selections.

With the addresses in hand, I researched the homes and came across a familiar last name—one I recognized from a real estate agent I had worked with before. I reached out and asked if she was related to the owners of one of the homes. She was! Then, I asked the big question: Did the house still have a stained-glass window in the bathroom? She said yes.

After years of searching, I had finally found it.

My friend asked her in-laws if they would be willing to let me see the window and gave my phone number to them. A few days later, I got a text inviting me to visit anytime.

I arranged for my sisters, aunt, and cousin—who happened to be in town helping my aunt move—to come along. The homeowners, despite the challenges of the COVID era, welcomed us inside and led us into their master bathroom.

And there it was.

The exact window I had remembered. The colors, the design—everything was just as I recalled from childhood. I was transported back to when I was four or five years old, running my fingers over the smooth blue glass.

Before we left, the homeowner mentioned that one day, we could discuss removing the window so that our family could have it. I was deeply touched by their kindness. After all these years, after all the searching, I had found a piece of my mom again.

Fast forward to later that year, my husband started working at a new church and I began getting involved. I started doing things in the women’s ministry and heard HER name – the owner of the house with my mom’s window. I was blown away that God brought us together to be at the same church after I had looked for that window my entire adult life. Her and I talked about that window here and there through the years, but I didn’t want to intrude again by asking to see it. Three years later, a friend asked me to a women’s dinner group. I decided I would go with her and asked my friend the address, and as you would likely guess, it was the house with our window. So now I get to see it a little more regularly and one day we will remove it so all of us kids can enjoy the one piece of art my mom left.

Anytime I see a stained-glass window, like the ones in our church building, I love the beauty of the sun shining through. But up close as I walk past the works of art, I see broken glass, damaged and rugged – fused together with rough metals. Much like us, broken and damaged, but a Master Artist shapes and connects each broken piece into a beautiful work of art. Ephesians 2:10 states, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

It may be hard to see the beauty of God’s overall plan in the depths of pain and brokenness. In the years before and after I found this stained-glass window, my family was entrenched in the broken pieces of our life. We had suffered loss, a burn injury and then brain cancer of our oldest son, intense relationship pain, and church hurt. In the midst of it, we couldn’t see the beauty and redemption that God was piecing together. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Even hardships and pain, God can use to glorify Himself in our lives. Every one of us know what it is like to walk through those hard times of loss, illness, trauma, painful relationships, church hurt, and the questions of “why?”.

As I look at these stained-glass windows, it reminds me of God’s goodness in my life through the years of pain. As I look back, I can see how He used all of those jagged edges and broken glass to make a beautiful work of art. In our losses, we leaned on Him more. In the injury and illness of our son, He is creating an incredible life of ministry and testimony. He has filled those relationship losses with new relationships that are encouraging and life-giving. He has led us to new ministries that are serving Him and taking us deeper.

If you are in the midst of the broken glass right now, I pray that you are encouraged that God is walking with you through the painful times and He is creating something beautiful. Isaiah 61:3 says, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

*This is hanging in my living room window. It is my mom’s design that I had made from her blueprints*