Across from me right now is a stained glass lamp that came from my grandmother, Winnie Waugh. It is a Bradley and Hubbard – a good quality arts and crafts lamp – and it is my favorite single item that we own. It has a green and red shade, bronze inlays, and a bronze stand. I love it because it is so well crafted and beautiful, and also because it was my grandmother’s, a woman who I know lived a life beyond herself by helping others.

I like having my grandmother’s lamp around even though she and I didn’t know each other very well when I was growing up. She was too old and I too young to appreciate each other then, but I have since come to admire the life she led and the values that guided her actions. Every day I see her lamp and every evening it is burning bright with its beautiful red and green light. Winnie Waugh shines through that lamp, reminding me of what is important in life.