For a number of reasons, I hate living in Ohio. But today, I wanted to get some pictures so I decided in a ho-hum kind of fashion to take my camera out after church to see what I could find. I actually went into the city of Cleveland (GASP!) and found... beauty.
My goal was to find the location of the CIA (no, not the Central Intelligence Agency... the Cleveland Institute of Art). It's a cool autumn day today with blue sky -- something that gets VERY rare in the Cleveland area as the winter approaches. So I parked the car and went strolling. To my amazement, I found a beautiful garden outside the Cleveland Museum of Art which is across the street from the CIA. Even more amazing was the fact that the museum itself is now open and is free!
I walked inside, not sure what to expect. I had to leave my camera bag with a museum guard, but then managed to weave my way through the maze of galleries. It was quiet and very thought-provoking. It was like being transported to another world.
Portraits and paintings, sculptures and statues, Tiffany glass and period furniture. There were paintings of men and women who have changed the world and more importantly, there were artists who captured personalities and poise and BEAUTY!
I spent an hour walking around and taking pictures. I was lost in it all and it was wonderful. Such an escape from the dust and grime of everyday living. It was like a drug, a way to forget and be removed from the problems of the day.
It made me realize that we are co-creators with God when it comes to beauty. He gives us the trees and the moon and the stars. In return, we can use our feable minds to paint, sculpt, draw, and imitate the beauty that is all around us. Maybe the lesson for me today is that there is beauty all around us, if only I have eyes to see.
Nearby is the Cleveland Museum of Art and Severence Hall which is home to the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. And very close by is the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Who would have thunk it? They were here all the time and I refused to see it all. Now... what would it take to be immersed -- if only for a short time -- in all this beauty?
