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I’m so awesome. And Stephen Sondheim? He’s awesome too. Why you ask? I shall tell you!

When my mom first had her stroke, and she was basically as broken and confused and drugged as one lady can possibly be, about the 7th day afterwards we took her into the “day room”. It was the first time she had been in a wheelchair and out of bed. Her head lolled about and she dozed in and out of sleep, sitting straight up.

We took her into the day room and brought the boom box with us. We put in Sondheim and turned on mom’s favorite Sondheim song “Anyone can Whistle”. And miraculously, we see my mom singing along to the words. Murmering, jumbled, but singing. It was so touching, so real, so inspirational really.

She’s always loved him, he is her hero, he brings her beauty and love in her world. She has taken me and my brothers to every Sondheim musical she can, I’ve seen so many. She’s flown me to NYC, just to see something Sondheim. When the Goodman Theater did his new show “Bounce” I was working there at the time, and my mom and I went to the opening night party.

There he was, standing right there, and my usually unbrave mother marched right up to him and introduced herself. The escalator was broken on the way up to the party and somehow it was me, Sondheim and my mom climbing up the stairs. My mom said “Don’t fall Mr. Sondheim!” and I said “it’s okay, he’ll bounce!” Get it? Bounce? His new show? He didn’t get it at all, but it was a highpoint for the two of us, one of the highest.

So after my mom’s stroke I wrote to Mr. Sondheim, and asked him to send something to her, anything to egg her on in this fight.

AND HE DID! 2 MONTHS LATER HE DID! He has a new manager and didn’t get my letter till last week! He sent me a personal note that says:

Dear Margaret Hicks:

My apologies for not replying to your letter sooner, but I only received it this week. I hope the enclosed will make your mother happy.

Yours,

Stephen Sondheim!

I put in the exclamation point.

Then he sent her a picture, autographed that says “Thank you for your enthusiasm” Has her name and his signature!

I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS.

One nice thing can go so far.