Shortly after my husband returned from Iraq in 2005, I had the honor of meeting Thomas Kinkade at the Joint Base Lewis McCord BX. His artwork and books were so popular that the line of people waiting for his autograph was huge. My daughter and I waited for about an hour to purchase a print called "Heading Home." "Heading Home" was different from Mr. Kinkade's usual style because it didn't feature cottages, lighthouses or flowers. The print simply featured an American soldier in uniform. I liked it because I felt it represented our soldiers coming home from war.
Pleasant and courteous, Mr. Kinkade signed the copy of the print I purchased. I proudly gave it to my husband for Father's Day. It wasn't framed, so my husband put it in a cardboard tube for safekeeping. Months later, I decided to have the print framed. I searched high and low, but I couldn't find it. My husband couldn't find it either. Sadly, he finally confessed that he may have accidentally put the cardboard tube (and the print) in the trash.
In 2009, I purchased a framed painting of "Heading Home" from the PX. The painting doesn't have Thomas Kinkade's signature, but I wanted to replace the lost print. I gave it to my husband when he retired from the army. He hung it in our living room. No, I don't mind that other military families may have "Heading Home" hanging in their living rooms too. Because of Mr. Kinkade's marketing strategy, hundreds of other military wives may have paintings of the happy day their husbands came home from war too.
Sadly, Thomas Kinkade passed away on April 6, 2012. He was a devout Christian who passed away on Good Friday. May America's beloved "Painter of Light" rest in peace.
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