WONKA

Dear Olive, 

Gabriel and I just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  It was his first chapter book and we read a little each night.  For as long as I've wanted children, I've dreamed of snuggling them beneath the bedcovers and reading Roald Dahl and Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Serendipitously, as we were nearing the end of the story, I found that a beloved teacher was directing Willy Wonka as the winter musical at our high school.  This weekend, I snuck a chocolate bar into Gabriel's bedroom mailbox with a surprise inside. 

It was an official date.  We brought popcorn and ate the chocolate bar at the show.  He sat so still, and I watched his eyes take in the magic of his first theater experience.

I wonder if Roald knew of the joy he'd bring generations, just by writing the imaginings of new worlds.  I asked Gabriel what he learned from the show, his response: "Don't be afraid to be silly", and, "Believe."  Indeed.