Teresa Bell
Kindred is a wife, mother, grandmother,
educator, author, magazine columnist, and public
speaker. She frequently appears on Channel 13, WBKO's Midday Show with Whitney Ray. The
segment is called Mom Moments and offers
parenting tips and advice. She is a
passionate advocate for children and
education and enjoys speaking to groups
about those topics. Teresa's monthly
magazine column for Kentucky Living
Magazine, Kindred Spirits, is enjoyed by
over one million readers each month.
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MY MAY COLUMN AT KENTUCKY LIVING MAGAZINE:
Crafting art
and patience
I have always thought stained-glass
windows were beautiful, so when some
friends took lessons at Avalon
Stained Glass School in
Munfordville, I listened to them
discuss the procedure with interest.
The more I thought about it, the
more I decided I wanted to give it a
try.
When I was a little girl, I remember
watching my mother and grandmother
cut out quilt pieces and sew them
together. I never took part in
quilt-making because I couldn’t sit
still. I simply didn’t have enough
patience. If I didn’t have enough
patience to make a quilt, how could
I believe I had enough to create a
piece of stained glass?
My first mistake was when my
instructor (a wonderful and very
patient man named Carl) showed me
patterns and asked me to choose one.
I looked through them all and picked
one with 82 pieces. I guess you
could compare that to someone who
just started piano lessons
attempting to play Beethoven’s first
symphony.
Carl has a wonderful studio with
lots of different colors and
textures of glass. He also has two
buttons on the counter where I work.
One says “That was easy,” and the
other says “Panic” and makes a
screaming noise when you punch it. I
hit the “Panic” button at least
three times a session.
I haven’t finished my first piece
yet because I’ve had to miss several
classes. Carl, bless his heart, has
never complained even though I’ve
broken more than my share of glass,
nicked myself several times, and
bled all over my pattern.
I have learned a lot from Carl and
his class. I’ve learned that while
patience is truly a virtue, slow and
steady wins the race. I’ve also
developed a much deeper appreciation
for the time and skill it takes to
create a stained-glass window.
Art doesn’t just happen, it takes
hard work and determination to
create something beautiful. To all
those who choose art as a way of
life, thank you. You make the world
a more beautiful place.
I'd also like to invite you to visit my friends
at Kentucky Living magazine and to read more of
my
Kindred Spirit columns. Type Kindred Spirits in the
Kentucky Living search box to bring up a list of
my archived columns.
APPEARANCES: If you are interested in having
Teresa speak to your group, school or
organization
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