Forest Lawn in Glendale

Glendale's Forest Lawn is a hidden gem amid LA's hustle and bustle; it's a welcome retreat. While much of the art are re-creations, it doesn't matter. Jan Styka's original of The Crucifixion alone merits the visit. His painting captures like no other the majesty of the Savior's supreme sacrifice.

The story of Dr. Hubert Eaton's life seems embodied in "The Builder's" creed. Part of his creed reads, "I believe, most of all, in a Christ that smiles and loves you and me." Eaton created the remarkable cemetery and spent much of his life gathering the displayed artwork. If you click the image, you can read the creed in its entirety.

Amazingly, even the kids seemed to enjoy Dr. Eaton's legacy. There were moments when they got bored, but when we explained to them what they were seeing, they seemed to appreciate it, too. As you can see, though, from the "Clayton" statue, there were still times when they decided to just be kids!


Melissa enjoyed the sculpture "Reveries" of a woman thinking about her book; each color is a different type of stone, individually sculpted then perfectly pieced together.

In LA, we've visited the Huntington Library and the Getty Museum; Forest Lawn is as enjoyable, if not more so than these other homes for great art.


To me, the thing that makes Forest Lawn unique and so personally enjoyable is that its creator, Hubert Eaton, so effectively communicates the essence of the Savior's mission. In addition, Eaton juxtaposes this essence with The Court of Freedom, a part of the cemetery memorializing the mission of our Founding Fathers. The entire place is Eaton's testimony of the message of Christianity and the ongoing battle to protect our agency. It's very cool.