Is it harder to love someone or forgive them? Definitely forgive in my book, which is sometimes the hardest part of love. Color Purple is one of my, if not the top of my all time favorite movies. it has love, lost, great quotes (You told Harpo to beat me!) and the power of loving reckless . . . which often includes some serious forgiveness.
Anybody who knows about the Black church, especially down south, they are serious about their 'LIGION. That's not always about praise, but about the customs and bylaws of the church. And the biggest issue is often teenage pregnancy - when the babies of babies who were getting down, start getting down, and the parents are shocked and apalled. The girl is austracized and labeled for a moment of weakness. And if she's the preacher's daughter, well she's outta there. Shug Avery was sexy and sultry in Color Purple. But underneath the sequins she was still the brokenhearted girl trying to dull the pain of losing her father's love. Hearing her daughter sing what use to be her song sparks Shug to try once more to get back in his warm embrace and be forgiven. She bust in the church and they are rocking right along with the folks from her juke joint. Her dad puts his pride aside to welcome her with open arms. He not only freed her, but himself. It definitely isnt easy - especially for parents who place such high hopes on their children - but loving people as they are and forgiving them when they aren't the people we want them to be, is real love, for better or worse.
God was definitely trying to tell them something . . .
