Purple

When I was a young woman, I had thick dark hair.  I decided I would like to have purple hair but I wasn’t brave enough, or financial enough to have it done professionally, so I bought one of those very temporary colours you shampoo in.  It wasn’t really purple, it was called burgundy I think, and really once my hair was dry you couldn’t notice any difference, till I stood under a light.  Then people noticed that my dark hair had burgundy highlights.

Well that was it for years.  I got married and had four kids under 7.  I had no time, inclination or money to even think about having anything except getting my hair cut periodically.  Like my mother and two sisters, I went grey early.  I don’t remember Mum as anything but grey;  white actually, and my sisters were a good bit older than me, and had always coloured their hair.  So when I started to go grey, I tried a few colours.  I couldn’t afford to have it done at the hair dressers, so I tried the stuff you could buy from the supermarket.  The first few I didn’t like the result;  then I found one that was pretty well the colour I used to be….until I washed it the first time.  Then all the white hair went bright orange!  Argh!  So off I went to the hairdresser, and got a really short hair cut, and kept it short till all the orange hair was gone!

So….back to grey hair.  Actually, I quite liked the effect of grey hair.  I went pepper and salt, then charcoal, then silver.  My hair stayed reasonably thick up until recently when I ended up in hospital as a result of a fall, breaking my ankle and requiring surgery to put everything back together.  I wasn’t able to use crutches because I had an inherited neurological condition, spinocerebellar ataxia, type 6, which interferes with my balance and co-ordination, as well as many other issues.

The ataxia had cause the fall, and up till that time had been slowly whittling away at my independence.  And now I had fallen, and I was in hospital.  The nurse in charge (matron, they used to be called) took one look at my history, and said, you can’t use crutches, you’re a high fall risk, you’re a high fracture risk, you are staying here till you’re recovered!

So there I was for three months.  Mind you they took wonderful care of me, and if you have to be hospitalised for a long time, a small country hospital is the place to do it!  The staff was wonderful, and the kitchen was wonderful!  Home cooking!  I was forced to relax and recover, and I started thinking about my plans from my youth to have purple hair.  I had talked about it on and off over the years, but I decided that once I was well enough, I was having purple hair.  Not necessarily all my hair, but I wanted bits of purple.

Eventually I came home, and it took a long time before I was fit enough to cope with actually going to the hairdressers.  But the time came, and I talked it over with the hair dresser, and I left there with purple streaks in the front of my hair.  It caused quite a bit of reaction, mostly favourable, from my friends.  Some of my family just ignored it, one daughter thought I had gone mad, and one grandchild suggested next time I should have red, orange and yellow like the fire.  If I ever grow my hair long, that is definitely worth considering!

Online, most people when they see my photo compliment me on my hair, or say nothing, if they don’t like it.  I’ve had a couple of comments that I’m setting a bad example to the younger folk, but seeing I’ve also had a couple of people say to me that I look twenty years younger….I think I’ll ignore the comments about setting a bad example.

So why have I done it?  Several reasons.  First of course, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for many years.  Breaking my ankle made me think about things.  I’ve realised I’m getting older, and as my father in law always used to say, if you’re going to do something, do it now.  You mightn’t get another chance.

Second, I’m thumbing my nose at ataxia.  Ataxia has robbed me of quite a few things.  I have lost a lot of my independence, I can no longer drive, in fact it would be dangerous to do so, because I can’t see well enough.  It has been a life changer.  By having purple hair it shows to me, and hopefully to others, that I choose not to be a victim, not to let ataxia rule my life (though it has changed it) and that I can still enjoy life.  I can laugh, I can eat chocolate, I can have purple hair!

And lastly, it is the colour of royalty.  It is a king’s colour.  I am very much a peasant, but my God is the King, and I am His adopted daughter.  Jesus came to earth and He suffered in my place.  He took what I deserve so I could have what He deserves.  He spilled His precious Blood to give me eternity in glory.  He made me a new creation, gave me a new heart and now I live for Him.

And just as I needed to stand under the light to show the burgundy in my hair, now that purple is indicative of the Light within me; the Sonlight.  The Light of the world, the marvellous Light, the Light shining in the darkness. He has given me love, and rest, and peace, and joy.

He has done so much for me.  He lifted me up when I was destitute.  He has called me His own.  I am his pearl of great price.  Everything I do now, I do for Him.  Even my purple hair.  My purple hair indicates my joy in Him!

Whatever the colour of your hair, whether you have hair or not, He wants you to be his pearl of great price too.  Listen to His voice.