When I was a little girl of about 10 years of age, my dad took me to see a performance by The National Ballet of Canada, a professional company that visited our town. When we arrived at the theater, we showed our tickets to an usher, who directed us to the row where our seats were located. We climbed over several pairs of legs before collapsing in our seats. An atmosphere of elegant expectation amid the hum of human voices surrounded us. Soon the lights dimmed, the crowd hushed, and the orchestra began to play. The color of the costumes and scenery, the sound of the majestic music, and the art of human expression carried me away into a magical land of perfection. Sheer beauty flooded my soul. That evening of beauty changed the direction of my life. When we behold beauty, if only in our eyes as the “beholder,” …