I remember driving grandma around from Gladewater to Longview... I was a young driver but she didn't seem to mind. I clearly remember an incident where a driver cut us off as we were trying to merge into traffic and grandma loudly proclaimed "IDIOT who gave them their license". This was a different shade..... I hadn't seen it before! It was loud and spicy it was the royal purple in my mind and it was exciting and different. It was the difference between that matriarchal staunchness and the exciting life I was exploring as a young person, grandma and I weren't so different after all!She was patient with everyone except grandpa, toddlers and the dog. Those three could get under her skin almost as fast as grandpa playing the piano at "inappropriate" times (which was almost all the time according to grandma). These are the dark purples....
She never made so much as a sniffle in church and seemed shocked when she sneezed! You could almost bet that unless the weather was above 78 she would have on a very long, very heavy coat. I always thought the music in the car was grandpa's deal but one ride with them together and I learned he'd rather listen to talk radio but grandma won out on that one every time. Grandpa welcomed the introduction of the larger vehicle, grandma couldn't elbow him as hard when he'd snooze in the car.... and that elbow was always accompanied by a "JER" ladened with irritation.
She had shades that showed up when she laughed and such a soft violet when she cried. There were so many perfect shades of purple that show up in my mind. When I see the different shades of purple that everyone will be wearing tomorrow my mind won't be seeing her favorite color instead I will be seeing her smile, her laughter, her patience and determination, her excitement when she talked about the jobs she used to work or the times she saw grandpa before they were married. The conversations about Betty (her best friend) and all the amazing things they saw when they traveled. The bright and excited purple that exploded when she could see her brothers and sisters.... so many different expressions of life all caught up in the color purple.
Lastly, I will see the perfect shade of purple that came when Grandpa would slip his hand ever so closely to hers and if she didn't respond he'd give it a little nudge and she would respond by gently slipping her hand into his. There wasn't usually ever a sound, or a facial expression but you could tell that she was most comfortable with him and that that was the safest place for her..... hand in hand with him was the calmest shade of purple she possessed.
This really doesn't even begin to touch the many shades of purple Grandma could display but it's a start and everyone can weave their own amazing display of colors when they think of Grandma in this way!
#blessedtobedressedinpurple
