Sunday February 3, 2008
It snowed today, nine inches in Salt Lake Valley and now it’s our turn.
Since I moved to Utah Valley, I’ve had the feeling like I’m in an afterlife. When I look out the window at our neighborhood once I was moved to tears. It was so beautiful.
Warning! No game-related material today. It’s not too late to turn back!
I expect an Messenger to come to me and say “Shawn, you died on the way to Spanish Fork. You’ve been dead three years. This is the afterlife.”
This year, I decided not to shovel the driveway. There is now an impenetrable six inch slab of ice. It would take a monumental effort to chip away at that. I think that is perhaps how it is with grudges, bad feelings, and bad habits. It takes a continuous effort to keep them clear– to forgive often and make small course corrections.
Today, I feel inclined to say a word of encouragement to young readers (ages 12-16). Keep your chin up. Life gets better. Whatever you are going through, it gets better and you will get past it and be a stronger person for it.
This life is a great voyage of self-discovery. We are half-blind for a reason. Without the veil between us and the Celestial World, there would be no need for faith, and indeed faith could not be developed. Being human, we would remove from our lives all misery and suffering, and thus deprive ourselves of one of the greatest things a soul can have: to KNOW good from evil, bitter from sweet, sickness from health.
Before this earth life, we lived with Heavenly Father. We knew each other well as a great family. Now, we are in mortality to learn by our own experience. There is no other way. When we make mistakes we can repent and get things right. Sometimes, something that seems so bad at the time ends up to be a great blessing.
Tragedy or Destiny. This is one of the greatest discourses on this subject that I have ever read in my life. If you take time to read it through, you’ll be glad you did.
It occurred to me that if Heavenly Father were to reveal himself to someone, so that he knew for a fact that He was real, that it would take away his freedom of choice to some extent. There would be a tremendous burden to now act on that knowledge. Rather, Heavenly Father gives a little light here and there depending on the level of obedience, which must be given of free will.
Matthew 13:45 ΒΆ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one a pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
46 Who, when he had found one a pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
Cost of the pearl: everything you have. The pearl is to know for a fact that god lives and to know him personally; what is He really like? Casual curiosity is not enough.
I want to express my deep love and gratitude to those that have sent kind emails, kept the business afloat with orders, and helped with advice and labor.
My heart is full of kindess to you young people, going through your tumultuous young years. I assure you that the thunderstorm in your mind does pass and there is calm.
PS- Every once in a while I get the urge to make a post like this. I don’t want to come across as “preachy”. I don’t make any pretentions to being a good person. Anyone that knows me can attest to my irreverence and imperfection. If this was helpful to you, please drop me a line, otherwise I will probably just keep it to myself.
Saturday, February 2 2008
Picture: a Nephilim from Privateer Press. See the other figures. I never get tired of this model. I own one!
Today was hectic, like every day it seems this week. It was insane.
I am currently booking projects for March.
Last night I headed up to Salt Lake for a nephew’s “court of honor” where he was given the rank of Eagle Scout. That was really something. One of the speakers brought a real eagle and that blew little Griffin’s mind. All our local family is just outstanding. Tamie and the older kids stayed up there with her sister and I headed back home with Griffin where I put him in his own little bed. Once I put on the little rain forest noisemaker he passed out in like 0.5 seconds.
Today we had a huge Paint Fest at my house with like six artists. It was a blast. I plan on doing another one in about three weeks. I didn’t get much done. I was working on a Blood Bowl Amazon team for a friend and some Sentinels for the studio Guard army. Those are all part way done. I hardly got anything accomplished. In fact, I even petered out on the taping of the show. Ah, well, next time we’ll do it longer and better. Likely it will be held on February 23.
As usual, we’re working on about twenty projects. There are a couple of projects in digital photography that I wasn’t able to get to this weekend like I hoped (Ultramarines and Tyranids).
Tonight I headed back up to Salt Lake for a farewell to my brother-in-law who is being deployed to Kuwait for fourteen months. That’s pretty rough on his family, but we’re here to shore up.
PS- Angela turned me on to a new singer called Mika. So far, I like it. Here’s a sample.
Thursday, January 31
Picture: a mighty Ork Warlord, the leader of a mass of greenskins. This army was huge. The painter came in today as if shell-shocked. And after painting 190 orks you would be too! See my masterful narration.
Life is good. The long winter has brought clarity to my mind. They sky is like a great dome of pale blue ice. When I got home tonight, the mountain wind was pulling curtains of powder from the roof of the house. It was unreal.
I got up this morning to find the two boys watching Storm Hawks. Tamie and I were having fun with oranges, showing Griffin how to do an “orange smile”. I wolfed down some OJ, and milk with five Oreos and headed to the studio.
After doing some of my regular work, I headed to the MTC to translate into Spanish. I’m going on a different day now. I always feel uplifted coming out of that place.
I am a bit behind in my email Inbox. I have about thirty emails to respond to, so bear with me. It’s been a good week!
I uploaded a bunch of new spreadsheets for Warhammer 40K: http://www.bluetablepainting.com/view_files.php?download_categoryID=7 The new High Elves and Vampire Counts sheets are up, too.
Everyone is gearing up for the paint fest this weekend. I’m painting up an Amazon blood bowl team as a favor for a friend, plus some Sentinels for the Lions rampant.
The following projects are in digital photography:
- Arctic Tyranids 01 JS
- Ultramarines 01 JD (for alterations, which are done)
- Warmaster Bretonnians are still getting some extra loving attention!
My wife came in this afternoon and got out like six packages. There’s on straggler (Nurgle 01 BH) going out tomorrow.
Right now, I’m working on my laptop in the living room. The kids are all in their jammies watching Pokemon. Everyone has had a big day!