Beauty, Humor and Resilience

Heather longed to memorialize her mother’s passing with beauty and significance. Her mother, “Shelby,” had endured a tough life including the loss of her 11-year-old daughter (Heather’s sister), Shannon, to Reye syndrome without the kinds of support that would have been truly helpful. Heather and her mom had been through thick and thin together. Losing her mom was like losing her “best friend”.

Shelby and Heather shared life in many nourishing ways that focused on resilience in the face of hardships. Their walks in the woods led them to feeding birds by hand and enjoying their shared love of nature photography. They were also a duo known for their mischievous pranks, laughing through the years sharing their wild sense of humor. Shelby was artistic in many ways and brought Heather into the world of community theater as fellow actors, producers and co-authoring plays for the local dinner theater. They had so much fun and creative adventures together that it’s been difficult for Heather who continues to miss the shared playfulness with her co-conspirator and mom.

Heather first met Chris Nordin while at the Renaissance Festival near Holly, Michigan where Chris and his family have been the “Royal Glassblowers” for many years. She trusted Chris to help her find the perspective she needed to continue to enjoy her special relationship with her mom through art. She says that she had fun with Chris, brainstorming and developing the ideas that turned into the one-of-a-kind sculpture that Heather now treasures.

Chris worked closely with Heather to help her express in art some of the depths of the grief she carries. Throughout the process, Heather found Chris’s excitement contagious for discovery for what the piece would become. Chris was able to take the poignant memory of Shelby’s love of lilacs and nature to sculpt this extraordinary piece that captures the circle of life and, with the nested eggs, the desire to hold her three children close.

Heather shared, “This is the best way to remember her and have her with us.”

 Chris Nordin often combines metal, wood and glass in his custom sculptures. The wreath structure is made of metal. All other components of this particular sculpture are hand-blown glass. The lilacs contain a small portion of Shelby’s cremation remains.