"West Side Story" is the iconic modern love story about Tony and Maria that was inspired by William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". When I was teaching, one of the tools that I utilized was instructing the students about the background of each piece of music they learned to play. When I found a suitable arrangement of "West Side Story" for middle school band, I began the research about "West Side's Story's" story. We studied the music, the musical's story and watched a video of it. One of the songs from the musical is "Maria", sung by the character, Tony. Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim collaborated in the mid-1950's to create this marvelous music and I've been thinking about Sondheim's lyrics this evening as TEM (The Eldest Musketeer) spent his last evening here with us before going to Granny Hay's house tomorrow afternoon. Of course, we return home with Princess Leia, so our melancholy will not last long but tonight the poignancy was palpable.
There is a set of lines from "Maria" that reminds me of the precious and priceless time Grandpa Hoo and I are experiencing with two of our grandchildren this week. If I may be allowed a bit of poetic license:
"The most beautiful sound I ever heard:
Grandma, Grandma, Grandma, Grandma.
All the beautiful sounds of the world in a single word........
Grandma, Grandma, Grandma, Grandma"
It is so true. Hearing another human being say "Grandma" is like all of the stars lining up to create the most dazzling light show in the history of the world. That single word can melt a heart and bring even the most jaded and weary soul into joy mode faster than any pharmaceutical could ever be designed to.
Grandma.
Enough said. The alpha and the omega.
Ancora imparo
