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Cellist Plays Her Recital Piece Twice as Slow as Ever Before

Perfection?  I'll tell you where you never find it.  At a music recital.  What you can find is entertainment.  Freestone was the first Dopp on the program.  The minute he got up in front of a large group of people, all of them looking at him expectantly, I think he felt a surge of power.  He wanted to do something more awesome than play a dumb old violin song, but he couldn't think what that amazing feat might be.  So he just stood there absorbing the attention.  We'll have to come up with a comedy act for the next recital.  Or not.  He was pretty funny already.

I'm glad Golda played.  This was one of her federation pieces.  After so much hard work, it was nice to be able to perform it for someone other than the few people in the room at federation, including her mom holding a garbage can just in case the migraine got the better of her stomach at just the wrong moment.  This performance was much less nerve wracking! See, Kate?  Golda really does play the flute!  :)

Araceli has the best expressions when she plays.  I don't know why she chose such a slow tempo, but she played well enough to get a thumbs-up from Scott AND Ptolemy!  Copying Scott, he gave her a tiny thumbs-up and said his new word, "Go!"  How cute is that?  OK, cuter if you're his mom, but still...

In a recital version of Sophie's Choice, I had to choose whether to record Ruby or Xanthe, since the memory chip was full.  It was actually an easy choice, since Ruby just played this same piece in recital last week. Ruby did great, but this was Xanthe's first recital.

She took great care getting ready, even asking to wear her glasses, which she never wears because she can't see out of them.  I guess she was on an accessorizing kick and saw how cute Ari looked in her glasses.  The minute the person before Xanthe finished her piece, Xanthe jumped up, ran to the piano and said in the quietest voice, "I'm Xanthe and I will play Mary Had a Little Lamb."  And the rest is history.  The look of pride on her face afterward is priceless.  When I saw that beaming face, and held her when she ran to me, I had a flash of anger.  I was angry that her birth parents will never see their little girl in a tutu at the piano.  The anger was a surprising emotion, but suddenly I did feel angry that those people had to give up so much in this precious little girl.  They won't see any of it, and it is not fair.  Now it falls to us, Scott and me, to appreciate Xanthe for ourselves and also for the parents who sacrificed a lifetime of proud smiles and arms around their necks.  Their sacrifice is eternal.  It's too much heartbreak for a music recital, so you don't think about it, but it is there.  Instead of going away, these feelings will soon have to be experienced through Xanthe's eyes, once she is old enough to feel what I felt in that moment.  I am just thankful to have her here, safe, and forever.

When the music ended, I quickly swam out of my moment of cosmic despair and herded all the kids to Baskin Robbins for a post-recital treat, courtesy of Bill and Coco.  Ice cream can fix just about anything!