A few years ago, I hosted a birthday party at Third Degree Glass Factory. With hors d’oeuvres in hand, we casually sidled up to the demonstration area. I was jostled out of my reverie by the site of the largest, hottest, fire blazing oven I’d ever seen. Amazed, we watched a master glassblower carefully insert his medium into the oven. As it softened, subject to the blazing temperatures required to melt such a hard substance, he explained his craft. Upon extraction, he breathed into the object, then began to carefully shape it into a beautiful, ethereal creation. I held my breath as he gently pulled and spun the molten glass, intent on his vision. And then – it broke! We all gasped, sure that this master artist would be disappointed, angry, perhaps even embarrassed. He simply smiled and I’ll never forget his words. Without missing a beat he said, “What separates a novice from a master is knowing what to do with the breaks”. He then skillfully continued working with the glass and an even more beautiful work of art emerged. I am grateful that my heart is in the hands of the Master.
