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“Ook, Grampa, I colored this one!” Katie giggled as she shoved her coloring book up into her Grampa’s outstretched hands. Katie could not do her “L’s” very well, so “look” became “ook” with her.
“Katie, do you know what color you colored this with?” asked Grampa.
“No” Katie replied. She had never given any thought to the fact that colors might have names.
“This color is purple,” said Grampa.
Katie frowned, “I don’t know purple!” she said with a look of bewilderment.
“And, Katie, do you know what you have colored here? It’s an elephant.”
“Effant?” she questioned.
“Yes, baby, a purple elephant.” he said. Grampa patted little Katie and said, “Honey, this is so beautiful! I’ve never seen a purple elephant before, but here is proof they do exist right here on this page,” said Grampa with his most serious-business expression. Katie beamed.
Later that evening Katie’s brother found the coloring book left open to the elephant. He was two years older than Katie and was so proud of himself. He liked nothing more than lording over his little sister.
“Katie,” he said, “you color so messy! An ape could do better than this! Who ever heard of a purple elephant?”
Tears welled up in Katie’s eyes. She grabbed her coloring book and ran to her Grampa. Through her sobs she blurted, “Grampa, Kevin says I color messy and that there is no such thing as a purple effant!”
Grampa hugged her with his usual compassion and reassurance. “Katie, Katie,” he said, “sometimes big brothers don’t see things like little sisters do. It takes a trained eye like Grampa has to really see how beautiful this is. Baby, this is a beautiful purple elephant and you are a beautiful Katie to me.”
Grampa encouraged Katie as she grew up. She was always A+ with him. She became confident and competent under his approving watch. They shared a joke between them about “purple effants”. When Grampa applauded her efforts, she would smile and say, even at 16 years old, “purple effants?”. He would smile back.
She would visit him at the Retirement Home every day. He was incoherent after his stroke and held a blank stare. He would eat the cookies and fresh fruit she brought him, looking blankly straight ahead.
But one day on her visit to him, his countenance changed. He had a pleasant, knowing look.
Katie said, “Grampa, you look so wonderful today!”
Grampa smiled and said, “purple effants!”
She hugged him so hard and they both laughed until it hurt.
Perhaps sometimes our efforts toward God are not so great and wonderful and we color the wrong color. We don’t stay in the lines but, he lovingly looks down and says, “Purple Elephants!”.
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