If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
- Moslih Eddin (Muslih-un-Din) Saadi (Sadi)
Have you ever been poor? Not had two nickels to rub together? I was a single mother of two beautiful children and raised them pretty much on my own for about 12 years. I worked full time, but every penny I earned was earmarked for bills, mortgage, groceries, and gasoline. There was precious little left over for movies, Red Sox ball games, tennis lessons, computer games, stylish clothing, sports equipment and all other things that most kids expect. One late early December evening, while sitting at the supper table, my ten-year-old son, Christopher, gazed at his sister Juliet and said, "You know, Julie, Santa isn't going to be able to bring us many toys this Christmas." She looked at him with her huge dark brown eyes and asked, "Why not?" "Do you remember how cold it was last winter and how many big snowstorms we had? Well, a lot of Santa's elves froze to death in the awful weather so Santa hasn't had enough help to make toys this year." I sat there at the table, open-mouthed, listening to this exchange that was totally unexpected and totally unprompted by me. This boy, on his own, was able to reset his little sister's expectations in a way she understood. ( He almost put me in convulsions, but I was able to keep a straight face until I was alone.) He was a good kid and he knew the score.
Well, the "best things in life are free" is no lie. Even though I couldn't afford many material things, I could try to give them a grounding in the joys of the spirit and introduce them to art, music, and literature. One Sunday we journeyed to Boston to the Museum of Fine Arts: Chris and Julie had never been there and I prayed they would not be bored. We saw the Egyptian collection with its mummies, the gorgeous collection of 18th century portraits and paintings, all the things that might capture a child's imagination. The Boston Museum also has one of the largest collections of Impressionist art in the world. We entered a room where many famous Impressionist paintings were hung. It was a windowless, not very large space, but it was lit up by the brightness of the colors and the beauty of the stunning art. Right in front of us was the nearly life size-painting "The Dance at Bougival" by Auguste Renoir. Christopher stopped dead in his tracks, unable to take his eyes off the painting. The expression on his face was that of one who had opened a window and seen Paradise. He walked slowly toward the huge painting and when he was close to it, he raised his hand and TOUCHED the painting. The guard and I had a joint seizure. He was great with Chris, tho'. He explained how we want this painting to last forever, and how oils in our skin can affect it and that's why we should never touch one. Chris totally understood, and replied, "Oh...okay."
In that instant, a love of art was was born in my boy's heart that has survived to this day (he'll be forty in November.) Every few years or so, he and I try to visit an art museum together to find new or old pieces that will dazzle or intrigue us. It's difficult to do since we both work, he has children to raise, and we live 1700 miles apart. Two weeks ago, we managed two days together while I was on a short visit to Tampa where he and his family live.
Chris wanted to visit the Tampa Museum of Fine Art for the first time--he and I both felt that it should be a great museum because Tampa is a very large city. Quelle disappointment! What a dismal, dreary place. The only art that sticks in my mind were some pieces in an exhibition of art by physically and mentally challenged people. I think they need some serious fund-raising activities. Next time we'll go over to St. Petersburg and see the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Art. It's a little jewel of a museum that Chris hasn't visited yet. That should be a treat.
The whole point of this essay? You never know what is going to touch your child and leave a mark forever. It could be music or art or the love of books. It will be something that will sustain their souls in troubled times and will bring joy forever. Christopher has been a master tech for Mitsubishi and now Lexus, for many years. One of his former supervisors once told him that he was the only mechanic he knew that had a Monet calendar taped to the side of his tool box.
". . . and with the dole, buy hyacinths to feed thy soul."
