The Pathway to Heaven

The above painting is my latest abstract. As yet I do not have a name for it. In fact, as yet, I have not at all  decided its' future. If anybody has some honest suggestions for a name I would be grateful and also honest comments. It often concerns me that very few people ever say that they think a painting is rubbish though i am sure many must feel that. 

That is not the theme for my morning blog. 

Yesterday I spent the day painting. I am not the cleanest of painters and frequently without thinking clean my brush of the shirt or jumper I am wearing. Because of this rather bad habit my wife has a big bag into which I throw the shirts jeans and jumpers I wear while painting.  When they become in need of a wash they are not just thrown in the washer. First I have to make sure as much of the paint that is likely to end up in the washer is off the clothes. Often they never see the washer they go straight into the rubbish. 

As I was painting yesterday I was thinking that I really do feel very comfortable in these old jumpers and shirts and I do have a fondness for the jeans also.  This took me back to the times of my wild youth. 

I used to have a jacket with loads of pockets in it. So handy for carrying notepads used for scribbling poetry. Carry the latest book I was reading. Then of course I had all the things I needed to indulge my bad habit of pipe smoking. 

It was a jacket I just loved. When I heard a little witty saying or had a thought myself I used to get out a marker pen and write it onto the jacket.  On the left sleeve I had written the instructions on how to get to heaven.

He who gets drunk, falls asleep.

He who falls asleep commits no evil.

He who commits no evil goes to heaven.

If you want to go to heaven.

Drink. 

Now this came from my wild days so I would not recommend such actions now. But I do remember another occasion when the very same question was being discussed.

I was asking a group of school children how they thought I could guarantee getting to heaven.

The discussion went as follows.

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big  sale  f lots of things I have and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" 

"NO!" the children all answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the church lawns, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, the answer was, "NO!"

"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and brought sweets and nice things for  all the children, and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?"  

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

"Well, then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU HAVE TO BE DEAD!" 

Well I suppose he did have a very valid argument. I was so glad he had no further insight and was able to tell me the date when I would find out for sure. 

Have a good day.