Mary Loretta Kelly

One of my favorite places in Los Angeles to visit is the private Getty Museum. The buildings and grounds are breathtaking and the art collection is varied— from its antiquities, European masterworks from the Italian and French Renaissance, to the modern sculptures in its gardens. My daughter, who now lives in LA, is the main reason I sojourn out West. But our shared love of art and architecture draws us to the Getty. We happened to wander into an exhibit of French Medieval manuscripts. The monks who might have spent a lifetime scribing, sketching and painting these extraordinary books left such an impression on us. The artistry, the vivid colors that remain after so many centuries left us in awe. We were chided more than once by security for our enthusiasm.

The following Christmas I opened my daughter’s present to me, and she said, “See Mom, it’s us, the lioness and her three cubs.” Drawn and painted by her hand, a shared experience, and the metaphor of a single mother, a lioness who still protects her cubs. My Medieval treasure.