A couple weeks ago, when I asked Sophie about her day, she told me about a man who visited that day, and that he “laid on his back to paint.”
Me: “A grownup or a classmate?”
Sophie: “A man! A grownup.”
Me: “And he was in your classroom?”
Sophie: “Yes. And he laid on his back and painted, just like this.”
(She showed me.)
Me: “What did he paint?”
Sophie: “I don’t know. I’m tired of talking.”
Me: “But he was there? You saw him?”
Sophie: “Yes!”
I thought about this mysterious man for a few minutes, not remembering seeing anything on the school calendar about an artist visiting that week. And then, I remembered something else: Each month the children in Sophie’s class learn about an author, composer and artist. This month’s artist? Michelangelo.
Someday I hope to stand with Sophie in the Sistine Chapel, and tell her this story.
“A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.” —Michelangelo