On those days when I struggle to understand my eight-year-old daughter’s love of pinks and purples and boy bands and the use of high-pitched squealing to express joy…

And on those days when I struggle to understand the irrepressible nature, the endlessly patient character, and the wholly mysterious being of God…

…the purple maple tree reminds me that my daughter and God have something wonderfully in common: they both have the imagination (far beyond my understanding) for purple trees!