Held by Light started in a way I never could have planned.
While visiting Puerto Rico, we spent several days exploring beaches all over the island. Everywhere we went, I found myself searching the shoreline for sea glass. By the end of the trip, I had collected pieces from seven different beaches. I knew they were special, and I wanted to create something meaningful for my aunt, but I couldn't figure out what was worthy enough to use them for.
One day I came across a simple wooden light up cross that kids could paint. The second I saw it, the vision was clear. I could already picture sea glass glowing from within the cross. I went home, made a much larger version than the ones I create today, carefully wrapped it, and mailed it to my aunt in Maine as a surprise.
When she opened the package, she called me almost immediately. She was so excited, and before long she was telling me that I needed to make them for other people. At the time, I didn't think much of it. I just knew I had made something that meant a lot to someone I loved.
There was one problem though. I didn't have an endless supply of sea glass, and ordering bags of it online never felt right. I wanted to create every part of the piece myself, so I started experimenting. I began breaking glass bottles, learning about the different types of glass and which colors could actually keep their color through the tumbling process. After days of tumbling, the sharp edges slowly transformed into the soft, frosted finish that makes sea glass so beautiful.
I started with only four colors, but the more I learned, the more possibilities I discovered. Today I use seven different colors that can withstand the tumbling process while still producing the beautiful glow I had imagined from the very beginning.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn't just fascinated by the transformation. I completely fell in love with creating the art itself. One of my favorite parts is spreading hundreds of little pieces across the table and fitting them together like a puzzle. Every curve, every shade, and every piece has a place. No pattern is copied, no two crosses are ever exactly alike, and every single one develops its own personality before the light is ever turned on.
Then the light comes on.
That moment never gets old.
For me, it has always been about more than beautiful glass. It's a reminder of what Jesus does in our lives. He doesn't erase our story or pretend the broken parts never happened. He shines through them.
A few months after my aunt received her cross, she told me something I'll never forget. She laughed and said, "My light is starting to die. I use it every single night when I pray."
That simple comment completely changed the direction of Held by Light.
It made me realize that the cross wasn't sitting on a shelf as decoration. It had quietly become part of her relationship with Jesus. She had built a habit around it. Every night she would turn it on before she prayed, and eventually the batteries couldn't keep up. That's when I decided to redesign every cross with a plug in LED wooden base instead. I wanted these pieces to become part of people's daily lives without worrying about replacing batteries or packing them away.
For over a year, I kept this idea to myself. Life got busy, doubts crept in, and I wondered if anyone else would ever love these pieces the way I did. But God never let the idea leave my heart, and my aunt never stopped encouraging me. Eventually I realized that maybe this wasn't just my idea anymore.
Today every cross is still made one piece at a time with prayer, patience, and intention. My hope is that when you bring one into your home, it becomes more than a piece of art. I hope it's the light you naturally reach for before you pray, the soft glow that fills a quiet hallway, the comforting night light beside your child's bed, or the reminder you notice from across the room after a long day that helps you pause, breathe, and remember that Jesus is near.
My prayer is that years from now, you'll still reach over, turn it on without thinking, and spend a few quiet moments with Jesus beneath its glow.
Thank you for allowing a story that began with seven beaches, a surprise package for my aunt, and a quiet nudge from God to become part of your home.
With gratitude,
Kailey
