Kathy’s Aunt Linda is with us right now, all the way from St. Louis,  and she never fails to bring a surge of very special joy and energy and fun with her.  The above photo is a great case in point.  It’s taken in the parking lot of one of our favorite restaurants, the Yard Arm- and Kathy and Linda were waiting while I was busy taking a cell phone call from the world famous Weston Noble.  (He was asking permission to use my Amazing Grace arrangement for a couple of choral events this fall.)   One would think that two adult college grads would be able to occupy themselves for three minutes without incident – without getting into trouble- but not these two.   They decided that they had to sit down, and the only thing available was a bike rack, and when they sat themselves down on top of it- SPLAT!   In an instant they and the rack were in a heap on the ground, laughing their heads off.  It was like watching Lucy and Ethel at their vintage best – except that I was their only studio audience, and the last thing I wanted to do during this conversation with Mr. Noble was break out in a cackle of laughter.  (I have a feeling that getting him to understand what was so funny would not have been easy.) So I did my best to clamp down my jaw and give them an icy stare,  while inside I was joining in their helpless laughter.

That moment was such a perfect embodiment of who Linda is – and my wife, as well.   Not that they’re klutzes or anything (I’m the last person who should be throwing stones on a matter like that)  but that they are so quick to laugh in a moment in which some people would be profoundly worried that they might have scuffed their shoes or gotten a grain stain on their slacks.   And come to think of it,  their laughter in that moment immediately brought to mind the helpless laughter of Jan-  my wife’s mom,  Linda’s sister-  who knew how to laugh in the midst of life’s minor calamities.  (And I guess part of that comes from recognizing that nearly all of life’s calamities are minor when it comes right down to it.)

There is more to Linda than spills and thrills, by the way-  and during this visit,  I have also come to deeply appreciate how beautifully she interacts with Lorelai-  whether opening a gift from her (a necklace that Lorelai herself picked out) or swimming with her or playing SORRY with her (and winning, by the way) or engaging in a spirited exchange of absolutely nonsensical babbling (one of Lorelai’s favorite diversions) or listening to her Knock Knock jokes or gently explaining why she can’t sleep over at their house, much as Lorelai might want her to.  Linda was perfect in every one of those moments,  as though she’d had ten children of her own over the years.   (Like us, she’s never had kids.)   I said something about this to Linda,  saying how much Lorelai adores her-  a compliment she promptly deflected by saying that it’s mostly because she’s the exotic aunt from out of town.   Yes, there might be a sliver of truth to that explanation,  but mostly it’s because Linda has this unbridled quality to her – and especially when it comes to showering attention and affection on Lorelai and everyone else she loves.   And that’s why when Linda comes to come to town, it feels like the most refreshing wind has blown in from St Louis….. and you just have to smile, whether or not you unexpectedly find yourself flat on your behind in the parking lot of the Yard Arm.