A Gift

At the recommendation of friends who had traveled to France, we went to the Musee D'Orangerie to see Claude Monet's Waterlily murals.

The museum is not well marked - but easy to find - just off to the right, at the end of the Tullerie Gardens. 

Inside the museum, we found the complete opposite of the Louvre. Gone were the lines, the clicking of cameras, and the shoulder to shoulder crowds.

Instead, it was quiet. 

Peaceful.

The diffused light from the skylights created a softness.

And without instructing my children, they immediately assumed a hushed, almost-reverent attitude.

Monet's masterpieces occupy the walls of two oval-shaped rooms. We sat on the cushioned benches in the center of the rooms to marvel and wonder. We walked up close to see the individual brushstrokes and the surprising mix of colors, from florescent orange to lime green, almost hidden amid the predominant hues of blue and lavender.

I had packed pastels and sketch pads for this visit. We stayed for over an hour, letting the kids draw, reflect, and enjoy.

I snapped this single picture before a "room monitor" quietly asked for no photography. 

Monet painted these murals as his final gift to the world. Though he had already bequeathed them to the French government, he could not bear to part with them. The rooms were built in the museum to Monet's specifications, and then the walls remained empty until after Monet died. 

We read that Monet wanted these paintings to be a gift of healing and a gift of solace to anyone who came seeking a break from the world. 

 It is one of the most beautiful places I've have ever visited.