The Art of a Mother and Son

As the holidays approach, we hear every day that this is the time of year to spend with family and friends. The calendar flips to December, and suddenly this internal alarm starts to ring with a jingle-bell chime—a reminder to snuggle up next to a fire with loved ones. Our cozy Saturday mornings begin to smell like hot chocolate and fresh cut pine and cinnamon.

For the past five years of the Peoples Gas Holiday Market, this is what we’ve felt. When the wooden chalets fill Market Square, we embrace the snowy bustle of holiday shopping in a flurry of ribbons and bows. We love the sense of community and family; we see shops and people from all over the world, and we see families step from country to country, taking in little pieces of those cultures. It’s a quick glimpse, to be sure, but each little shop tells a story. 

One story in particular stuck with us this year. As we spoke to some of the vendors in the Holiday Market, we met Marcie Macek. An artist who creates one-of-a-kind designs mainly using copper, Marcie reached out to us to share the inspiration behind her art—her son, Jeffrey.

Jeffrey was a sweet, loving boy who fought a hard battle his entire life against a disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He also lived with a low-functioning level of Autism. In spite of these challenges, he went to school, and that seemed to help. He learned how to drive a wheelchair like a pro. Then he received a piece of equipment called an eye-gaze, and it gave him back his voice. Every day was full of small blessings. One day, Jeffrey’s teacher sent Marcie photos of her son on a wheelchair swing, grinning from ear to ear as he flew through the air. Even though the odds were stacked against him, Jeffrey was a happy kid.

But Jeffrey always seemed the happiest when he watched his mom make her artwork. Though Jeffrey could not talk, as Marcie created, his eyes followed each movement. She could tell that it stimulated his mind and kept him busy. As she hammered, he smiled—the more noise she made, the better. And so they spoke to each other that way. Jeffrey gave her a nudge with each smile, and his designs emerged in the copper. She would begin to sketch trees, and his smile would grow. And so she would dremel until her hands could no longer hold on. Day after day, mother and son sat together, spent time together, and created art. When Jeffrey was 15, Marcie started her business to show the world the art that she and Jeffrey made. Together.

This past May, Jeffrey passed away at the age of 20. For a while, his death prevented Marcie’s mind from focusing. But the art has helped her hold on to that beautiful connection with her beautiful son.

Jeffrey will be there with his mom in the Holiday Market this year in the art that she created. If you pick up one of those trees, let it remind you of the love between a mother and a son. Trace the lines in copper, and think of Jeffrey’s smile. Think of the children in your own life, and maybe hug them a little tighter.

We’re always told that this is the time of year we’re supposed to spend with family and friends. But let Marcie and Jeffrey’s story remind us all that we should spend every moment we can with the people we love.