Yesterday evening I had the opportunity to go to the dedication of the Stewart Sculpture Garden at the Springville Museum of Art. It was a tribute to the local benefactors, creative masterminds, and artistic geniuses whose collaborative efforts created an homage to beauty. I sat there in between two of my favorite people soaking in the feel of the evening. Art, nature, and good company. All was well with the world.
The dedicatory prayer and remarks were offered by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Oaks related his personal experiences with the museum and the prominent artist in the new garden, Springville native Cyrus E. Dallin. Elder Oaks referred to the definition of dedication, indicating that to dedicate means to set something apart for a specific purpose or function and often to make sacred.
During the dedicatory prayer, I heard few of the words as I was overcome with feeling. This garden was being set apart as a place of refuge for the arts and nature to coexist. I felt this change as it happened to the leaves and blades of grass, but then it turned on me. My skin tingled and eyes watered as I realized that prayer was setting me apart as well. My future with the professional world of the arts began last night with that prayer.
It is something of a delight to me to know that the Stewart Sculpture Garden and I are beginning anew together. Old books are at an end making way for new installments. So it is that I embark on my maiden voyage with a bound edition of fresh, crisp paper and a comfortable pen, ready to document the future with a newly found dedication.
You're so wonderful. I'm glad you made it safely there, and I'm glad you were so blessed.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful description of a deeply personal dedication... it seems that all of my new beginnings begin with a renovated sense of identity and purpose... before passing into each new circumstance, i'm taught and tutored in ways i had never expected... you stand at the threshold of a grand adventure; and it sounds like you're making drastic headway in a perpetual process of sanctification. that night, you received confirmation that your feet are being placed in precise places; and that you are not walking alone... a new, stiff binding has creaked open, and this is the first page in a new, exciting volume of life.
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