Mark Fought

My daughter’s gift for our Church. My daughter spent an entire month on her knees on the living room floor, sorting tiny glass beads by color into little cups, working on this mosaic every single evening after school. I'd walk past her room at 11pm and the light was still on. She never complained once. She’s 16. And she wanted to give something to our church for Christmas—not buy something, but create it with her own hands, bead by bead. I’ll be honest with you, I was nervous to post this. She asked me to share it with the world and I almost didn’t, because the internet can be so harsh sometimes—and she’s going to read every comment. This girl has my whole heart, and I don’t know what I’d do if someone said something cruel about something she poured so much of herself into. A few weeks into her project, she ran out of a specific shade of golden amber and we couldn’t find it anywhere locally. I remembered someone in a crafting group mentioning finding supplies online, so I went searching and found a seller who had exactly what she needed—a small bead shop run by a woman who clearly knew her craft. It shipped fast, the color was perfect, and my daughter didn’t even have to pause her work. When she carried it into church that Sunday morning in her pink sweater, several people actually went quiet. Our pastor held it up and said he’d never received a gift like it in 30 years of ministry. She’s 16, and she made that. Please be kind in the comments. She’s going to see them, and she deserves only good things. Credit - Amanda Cain