A House of Glory

The glory of God is all around us! This white temple is reflecting the glory of the sunrise's colors.

I painted this from a photo my husband Greg took. These were the colors reflected on the temple. God is the Supreme artist! Did you know that all shadow is the direct complimentary color of the light? Did you also know that in light all analogous color to the light is heightened, while the complimentary colors to the light are neutralized? It is amazing what we learn when we study what God does in nature.

A Man of Integrity

My husband Greg is one of the most noble men I know. Goodness and integrity radiate from him, and if all men were like him "...the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would have no power over the hearts of the children of men." (Alma 48:17) I love my husband and know him to be a great man.

We were at an airshow (which he loves to do), so with the thrill of the moment captured in his expression and the glow of the sunset on his skin together made this an irresistable subject for me.

This work of art is done on chip board in acrylics and then the paint is sanded off in places to show the texture of the wood.

On Grandpa's Shoulders

How often does our greatness rise or fall on the shoulders of those who come before us? As parents and grandparents we have such a great responsibility to teach the rising generations about everything that is noble, virtuous, and praiseworthy. We teach many times with conscious effort, but more often than not we teach by example and the goodness we radiate. These are the things that I thought of as I painted this work of art. Little Talmage could feel of the love his "Papa" has for him, but he was getting other messages too- faith, determination, patience, virtue, integrity, and so much more. Each of us need to ask ourselves who we are lifting on our shoulders and what we can do to affect the lives of those we love for good.

Genius Level?

My daughter Emily wrote urging me to copy and paste the Html she had sent to me. As an obedient mother I decided to do it, then viewed my blog so I could find out what in the world I just blindly posted to my blog. I felt pretty impressed that my blog was rated on the reading level of genius, so I was naturally interested in the reading level of my other blog. All things being funny and unequal, I found that my "Where the Heart Is" blog was rated on a Junior High level! Ha! Just as my head began to swell from illusions of intelligence, life shows me that there really isn't anything to get all swollen about. Isn't that wonderful?! I love how life keeps our feet on the ground!

Hard Things...

The last few weeks we watched a good friend die. I watched his family- his wife and 3 children- stay by his side, lovingly giving him words of comfort and encouragement even though their hearts were breaking with grief. Real love is doing the hard things- for him, fighting a relentless disease with every fiber of his being in order to not leave his family without a provider/protector. For them it was letting him know that he can let go and return back to that God who gave him life... telling him they will be okay, even though they know they'll be lost without him. Real love was sitting together with him by his bedside, holding his hand as his body struggled to take his final rattling breaths. I saw real love standing together beside the coffin at the viewing, the teenage son bending down to kiss his father's brow. I heard real love as his wife asked, "Isn't he so handsome?" when others could only see a cancer ravaged body. This was real love that I witnessed these last few weeks, not a Hollywood type of love that comes and just as quickly goes. Real love bonds even tighter during the hard things, and that is what makes it eternal.

Why Jen's Loves?

I've decided to start a blog to express my gratitude for all the things I love. My first love (without this one all the others would be meaningless) is for my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, and the restored gospel on earth! Next is my family...my incredible husband, my wonderful children, the spouses and children of those who are married, and all of my extended family. Related to this second love is the love I have for being an at-home-mom. I love all that there is about it! I loved being there for my kids, and still being available for them if they need me when they are away from home. I love the challenge of "Thrifty Living" and trying to economise in helping my husband with the finances. I love making my home a piece of heaven on earth, creating an atmosphere of peace, joy, love, and beauty. I love to use my talents, especially art, to bring those things and people around me in my paintings. I plan to use this blog to show my art, express my feelings about those things that I love, and write those ideas that have helped me as an at-home-mom. Hopefully it will do others as much good as it has done for me!

Never Too Late!

Yesterday I graduated from Brigham Young University Idaho with a Bachelor of Science in Art/Integrated Studio Studies/2-D emphasis. It took me 12 years from start to finish, and I am now 50 years old. I've overheard students talking about getting certain things done in their life before they were 40 and too old to enjoy it- saying this as though 40 years old was practically dead. I wish we could understand when we are young that being older and wiser is a lot better than young and foolish. I waited to go back to school so I could be home to raise my children. To me, they were the most important mission of my life- more important than degrees, more important than a career, and much more important than working just to get out of the house and feel "fulfilled." I loved every minute of my life as an at-home-mom! The only thing that I regret is that I wasn't always as patient as I should have been, and that I can't do it all over again, reliving each moment and relishing them with as much joy as possible. Now, when I have more time I can do a little of those things that I wanted to do and I definately don't feel like I'm going to die any time soon. Life is wonderful!