Our Love Story
The Love Lens was born in 2014, a year that had been very hard for me. Part of what helped me get through that year were friends and family who stood by my side encouraging me and challenging me to have an honest and hopeful perspective. I needed to see myself, other people, and the entire world through different lenses.
After that hard season ended, I had a changed perspective and restored hope, which gave me momentum to dream into ways that I could help other people. I wanted to help others experience the transformation that comes from a perspective change, or, in this case, a "lens" change...
Then the idea came! I began to hand-engrave powerful identity words on eyeglass lenses, using them as tools to remind people of the truth about themselves and about others. These lens necklaces would remind people to always see through a lens of love.
In 2015, I was heading on a mission trip to Germany and decided to sell my new creation to help raise funds. I made a Facebook post and within 2 weeks, I raised my full amount. My trip was life-changing; I took a few Love Lens necklaces with me and was able to see the impact they made on those who received them. One young girl got a lens from me, and began to weep. She told me she had been so depressed and now she felt like she had a reason to live.
I knew this was what I was made for.
After Germany, my heart still on fire from the effects of seeing hope spark in someone’s eyes, I started making lenses galore. I took to the streets, giving them to strangers, speaking words of hope to them, reminding them how valuable and loved they are. I took pictures and told some of their stories on the Love Lens People Instagram and kept my nose to the grindstone.
We are coming up on The Love Lens sixth anniversary, and we are still hand-engraving each individual lens. I realized very early on that not only is the recipient of the lens stirred with hope, but the crafter is as well. Every time I or someone on The Love Lens team engraves a lens, we get excited by the thought that it could potentially change someone's life. We're honored that we get to speak into people's lives, changing the trajectory of their life through the work of our hands.
Join us as we inspire hope in our world together, seeing all of humanity through the lens of love.
Hopeful and Love-full,