In late fall, Keith began cutting paper snowflakes featuring the Holy Family, Santa, the Grinch and other designs to display in the family’s living room. He then took some to Washington Middle School and Lyons Middle School in Clinton to show colleagues, who asked if they could buy his creations.
“I thought, are you people crazy? It’s just paper,” Keith recalled. But he began selling snowflakes with designs from lighthouses to birdhouses to pet dogs, all at his acquaintances’ requests. Word spread, and as Keith sold more snowflakes, more bills got paid.
Now, he said he spends all his free time from October to December fulfilling orders for his business, Clear Visions: Personalized Paper Cuttings — named after Claire, whose name means “clear.” During Christmastime, snowflakes he donated as a “gift back to God” hang at St. Paul the Apostle Church.
Keith’s talent is earning national exposure. Guideposts magazine will feature him in a Christmas issue, and last month, he traveled to New York to discuss his craft on “The Martha Stewart Show” for an episode Marsha said will air May 7 or 10.
At home, Keith said, Claire is doing well and getting treated for scoliosis. “She has a beautiful spiritual life.” Once when X-rays offered bad news about her curved spine, she responded: “I wonder what God wants me to learn from this,” he recalled.
That response reflects an attitude her father worked to adopt during Claire’s early struggles. “I had to let go and truly let God take over… It was difficult. At the same time, I think God did give me the grace to handle it.”
His daughter’s recovery and his success selling snowflakes were eye-opening, he said. “When I look back, I can definitely see God’s hand in everything.”
For more information, visit www.clearvisionssnowflakes.com.
Printed with permission from The Catholic Messenger, newspaper for the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa.