"Where thou art, that is home." - Emily Dickinson

Exited to finally share my latest painting.  I had to wait a little while to post this one because it was a housewarming gift for my dear friends Paige and Darrell, and I didn't want to ruin the surprise!

The piece is named after a poem by Emily Dickinson:

Where Thou art — that — is Home —
Cashmere — or Calvary — the same —
Degree — or Shame —
I scarce esteem Location's Name —
So I may Come —

What Thou dost — is Delight —
Bondage as Play — be sweet —
Imprisonment — Content —
And Sentence — Sacrament —
Just We two — meet —

Where Thou art not — is Woe —
Tho' Bands of Spices — row —
What Thou dost not — Despair —
Tho' Gabriel — praise me — Sire —

While it is a somber read, at the poem's heart lie two very different yet powerful meanings.  First, the "Calvary" poems of Dickinson convey a deep rooted love that Dickinson held.  Secondly, it serves as a classic allegory to the Gospel:  

Luke 23:  44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

This passage describes Jesus' return to the ultimate "home" of God's kingdom.  While many would see this as alluding to a permanent end, on the contrary, it calls attention to a beautiful homecoming.  And so as the sun sets, no matter where one is in either a physical or spiritual sense, one is forever home in God's eternal presence.