Happy Everything Purple Day
Monday, February 4, 2008 -- 11:07am
Posted by Bar


Good morning.

It's everything purple day here in Woodstock, New York. For those of  
you who have been along for the ride for the last six years, you'll  
remember that Everything Purple Day! is the day that Forrest's  
classmates celebrated his life and life in general. The first annual  
Everything Purple Day happened about a month before Forrest died and  
has carried on as an annual tradition ever since. Each year, a bunch  
of us meet at his school on the Saturday before Everything Purple  
Day, and decorate the place in, well, anything that is purple. And  
when I say it's purple, it is truly purple at that place by the time  
we're done. All the current supertots kids wear purple today, and  
everything about school is purple: the story at story time is purple,  
the music at dancing time is purple, the snack at snack time is  
purple - the list goes on. When the teacher, Cheryl, initiated  
Everything Purple Day, part of the reason she did so was because the  
previous fall, we had all lived through the attacks on 9-11 as well  
as Forrest's cancer. She felt that despite all of the hardship, there  
was much to celebrate and that celebration was really necessary for  
all of us. It's a good idea to just take a minute every so often to  
see how great things are even as difficult stuff is happening.

Here in New York, we are celebrating the remarkable victory of the  
Giants last night. I loved the game. I watched with three other  
native Philadelphians from our friends' house in Woodstock. We were  
shy about who we were cheering for at the beginning being hardcore  
Eagles fans, but by the end of the first quarter, I found myself  
really wanting the Giants to win, and going so far as to predict that  
they would. So, when the Patriots scored and went ahead just 2+  
minutes before the end of the game, I said to my hosts "there's still  
plenty of time". The pivotal throw of the game came when Manning was  
almost sacked, he broke free, threw the ball to the receiver who was  
very well covered, and that receiver (don't know his name) barely had  
that ball in his fingers, but he held on. As he went down, it was a  
thing of beauty to watch. He was clearly focused on holding on to  
that ball. HIs opponent was holding on too, and as the Giant's  
receiver went down with his back arched and his arms extended and  
that football barely in his control, I thought to myself that any  
serious yogi might be inspired by the clarity and posture of that  
man's position. He was awesome. I felt in that moment that the Giants  
deserved to win because that play was so perfectly executed. At the  
end of the game, we all felt a certain sadness for the Patriots, but  
all in all felt that it was excellent defensive football with  
remarkably few penalties. Good stuff. I hope you enjoyed it if you  
were watching.

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday and the Giant's Parade in NYC. I hope that  
all of the people who are going to the parade will be sure to vote  
too. It's an important day tomorrow and I for one and am excited to  
see what happens. Still not sure what I'm going to do when that  
curtain closes behind me....

Here's to good times and Everything Purple!

Enjoy this day. It's a good one.

Love,
Bar