RODNEY JONES–STEWARD OF HEAVENLY ART

Some events in life come at you and they possess such powerful and persuasive undercurrents that you cannot deny Heaven’s

intervention. For me, this is one such moment.

The catholic Stewards of Creation web site launched on September 1st of this year and one of our early commentaries came from Rodney Jones. Mr. Jones had read my article Spiritual Intimacy and Our Pets and wanted to share a wonderful insight in response to that article which follows:

Hi Susi,

I read your article titled Spiritual Intimacy and Our Pets. I especially liked the point you made about the skepticism of some authorities regarding such intimacy because of our tendency to cast human characteristics onto our pets.

Anthropomorphism has been used for thousands of years in pictures and sculptures of Art. This projection of human characteristics showed that we had some kind of kindred spirit with God’s other creatures and beings. I thought I was brought here to care for our pet and give her love. Now I am of a new opinion.

I think my pet was brought to us to teach us and all who would take notice. Our pets are helping us obtain those most important qualities we will need on our path to heaven.

What has your pet taught today?

“There are many paths to the top of the mountain”.

~ Rodney Jones, Artist

Windermere, Florida

What a beautiful, spiritual lesson is in his words.

Rodney had been an artist all of his life and most loved getting away to his loft in Atlanta and creating the art work that made him in such demand. He painted from the heart, with each painting a spiritual journey in the emotions of life.

On November 11th, Rodney unexpectedly died from a blood clot to his heart. Reading his commentary again on our STEWARD COMMENTARIES page became even more powerful to me as his wife, Debby shared with me later, that he “seemed to have been very caught up in heavenly themes both in his art work and in his daily life.” One of the last pieces he painted, he titled “HEAVEN.” His art work always ethereal and spiritual, this painting depicted the emanating softness he was feeling within, a beauty that unbeknown to him awaited shortly.

But the story doesn’t end here.

Beautiful workings in the heavenly realm had just begun.

His daughter Tiffany had been terribly distraught and angry with God over the loss of her father. She was dealing with so many emotions and feelings and was without consolation. And it was in the tempest of this young woman’s immense sorrow, while sitting on a Florida beach two weeks ago that heaven reached down and changed her heart in a moment.

This is her story:

My father, Rodney Jones, was a beautiful and creative person who produced some of the most extraordinary pieces of artwork I have ever seen (and I love art!). He developed his own abstract method of painting entitled, ‘fluidism,’ a technique using layers of paint that create depth, dimension, and beautiful colors. His artwork always inspired me. As a young child I remember watching him in his art studio. It was like a divine power came over him. He always said that he felt like the hand of God moved his paintbrush. My mother and I would sometimes compliment his work, and he would say, “that was not just my doing, God’s power allowed me to create this!” Three weeks ago my father unexpectedly passed away. The two of us were incredibly close. I was his only child and it has been quite the struggle to cope with such intense grief. My father always told me, “If something happens to me, my work is in your hands.” I now feel the responsibility to spread the news of his work, as well as to carry on the tradition. After several days of intense mourning I felt compelled to pick up a paintbrush (and I by no means believed myself to possess artistic qualities), and used this cathartic method to both connect with my dad, and as he had, with God. I began to play the same inspirational music he listened to while painting and stared eagerly at my blank canvas. Suddenly, I felt something come over me. It was like a strong sense of peace in which I felt my father’s presence. I felt incredibly elated, throwing paint onto the canvas, smiling…..an emotional overflow! This moment was the most connected I had felt with my father or God since his passing. I praised God and thanked him for allowing me the ability to connect with father, and to have the confidence in myself to carry on his tradition. My father, being so artistically inclined, also enjoyed photography. He recently had taken some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen. When looking through my father’s computer, I found a series of cloud photos. Actually, when scrolling through his photo collection, I literally found hundreds of pictures of clouds! It was if he was connecting with God; looking above in acceptance of his eternal future. After his funeral I felt a strong desire to escape into nature. Living in Florida, I packed up, headed to the beach, where I hoped to find another spiritual connection. With camera in hand, I alone strolled the empty beach at sunrise. Here I saw the most beautiful sunrise of my life. I sat on the beach staring into the unending sea, watching the sun make its way over the horizon. I felt an immense peace, and knew my father, and God were with me. I took some of the most amazing photos I have ever taken. The glow of the sun was majestic! I had been called to the ocean to witness the beauty of Our Lord’s creation, and to understand that this beauty is only a small piece of what we can expect to receive in eternal heaven. I found myself getting into the chilly water, feeling the ebb and flow, and smiling, knowing my father was looking down on me. These photos symbolize a very special moment for me, and remind me everyday that he is still with me, and that I can expect to see him in eternal heaven.

Today, Tiffany is finding the joy of painting in her father’s loft and I know that he would be so very proud of her.

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