Tonight, I was given yet another reason to ADORE my niece Lorelai. Most Wednesday nights Polly and Mark and Kathy’s dad come over for supper and then head off to choir practice at their church while Lorelai is left with us. It’s a delightful way for us to have some good Aunt and Uncle Time with Lorelai and it helps out Polly and Mark. Unfortunately, I almost never have an empty evening, so usually I get to give her a smooch or two before I’m off to do something else and it becomes the Kathy and Lorelai Show, which is my loss. Tonight was no different; I had about ten minutes to play Jack in the Box with her and then helped get out the Wizard of Oz DVD (her request) before I head to head into the studio for tonight’s Guys and Dolls rehearsal. The first session was with the woman playing Sarah in the show, a fine soprano named Jennifer Keil who happens also to be a mother with children very close in age to Lorelai. And in a rather amazing coincidence, her kids were at home at that very moment, watching “The Wizard of Oz” too! (Actually an animated version, but still- what an interesting coincidence.) So Jennifer and Lorelai had a fun little chat before finally we had to get rolling with our rehearsal- and a few minutes later Matt Specht (our Sky Masterson) joined us.
We were working on the big duet “I’ve never been in love before” and the two of them were really pouring out some wonderful sounds – – – and at the end of our last run through of the song I looked up from my music and saw Kathy in the doorway of the studio, with Lorelai in her arms. It turns out that Lorelai’s ears perked up when she heard the singing and she asked if they could give it a closer listen – and so Kathy brought her into the doorway of the studio where they stood and listened . . . and when the sounds died away, Lorelai started applauded in that excited way that only she can. . . applauding with sheer delight! It was such a sweet moment partly because it was a case of a small child looking past herself and past what she was doing – to enjoy the exploits of another – and to applaud them for a job well done. I want her to never ever lost this quality – this love of music, and this ability to enjoy not only one’s own accomplishments but those of others as much or even more.