Purple Violets

Ellen Winona Crandall was a woman, a mother, and an angel. As a young child, she lived with a total absence of endearment in a family overrun with alcoholism and mental illness. The hope of finding affection of any kind was made all but impossible at the hands of her insufferable grandmother. The only solace she found was from writing pensive musings in a damaged diary and welcoming the tranquility of purple African Violets resting on her bedroom windowsill. After years of abuse and neglect, she gave her shattered heart to a man who had nothing to offer but deceit, vilification, and unfaithfulness. A father who showed deep disdain for their son, fueled by his obsessive wish of having his firstborn be a daughter. When Ellen refused to name her firstborn after her father, a dispute erupted, followed by years of family conflict, neglect, and intemperance, initiating a resolute pursuit of his mother’s love and acceptance. Left with many unresolved issues, he faced an adulthood barren of the imperative love from the most important woman in his life. Living without that love left him sorrowful and unfulfilled. Through his deep devotion, tenacity, and steadfast persistence, a lifetime of unspoken love and mistaken emotions ensued between a mistrustful, neurotic, and unforgiving mother and a devoted son.