This
morning, my husband and I made our way to Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen,
Minnesota. This is the memorial site for mourners to pay their respects to
Prince, who passed away last Thursday.
The weather,
I suppose, was fitting: rain. Yes, cold April showers, along with wind, set a
somber tone, one which was only spruced up by the presence of Prince’s signature
color, purple.
Because of
the weather, we searched for our umbrellas before we headed out, but, alas,
could not find them. So, we decided to “white knuckle” our way through the
experience. What’s a little wind and rain, right?
In the car,
on the way there, the radio stations played the artist’s hits: “Little Red
Corvette,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” as well as songs written for other artists, like, “Manic
Monday” and “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
We stopped
at another store. Already turning up unsuccessful in our search to find purple
balloons in the metro area over these past few days, we finally had to buy a
white star. It had its own beauty- dove white. Okay, we’ll go with it.
Once we
arrived, April showers provided a dramatic wake up call, indeed. Wearing our
raincoats was still no match for the wind-driven rain which seemed to be
pointed against us, no matter where the path wound to the Paisley Park fence.
And here is
where we encountered our first embodiment of love and community. Two ladies,
returning from the fence met us and gave us an umbrella. It was freely given to
them once they were at the site. “You’ll really need it, once you’re there.
Trust us.” We thanked them profusely, opened the umbrella gift and kept hiking.
We went
along the way of Riley Creek, underneath the bridge and embarked upon the
fence. Early one, there were stragglers of flowers and the occasional purple
balloon.
And then we
saw a sea of the vivid color.
Purple balloons, purple flowers, purple stuffed
animals, purple portraits, signs, love notes and artistic renderings of all kinds
were everywhere, stuck in fence holes.
We looked
for a spot for our white star and found one nestled next to a sign reading, “Prince
will reign forever.” Some Good Samaritan graciously offered to take our picture
as we struggled against the wind and rain.
(Thank you,
Sir).
With the
elements being as they were, there was no question about it; this was not my
best hair day.
Walking the
stretch of fence, we saw families, young children in strollers and even a few
dogs with their owners.
One of the
most powerful things which struck me was the quiet: eerie, peaceful, loving. No
one was disagreeable. No one was rude. People quietly milled around with their
phones and cameras. I also saw one news crew; trucks were lined up, one after
the other in front of the studio’s entrance.
But again,
it was peaceful...peaceful...
I saw a few
tears, but mostly, I saw smiles. I saw hugs.
Beautiful.
The chilly
rain and wind eventually dictated our trek back. In doing so, Russell and I
made it our mission to scout for an umbrella-less person. The spirit of the
umbrella mitzvah had us desiring to pass it on. We found a young couple, gave
them the umbrella and got in our car.
On the way
home, there was more Prince on the radio, more talk of his passing, his funeral
yesterday, his impact.
I’m still
not quite sure how I feel about everything.
Logically,
as an adult, I know he was not a close family member or friend. I know we never
met.
But, to
that, there is a beautiful post which has been posting throughout social media:
There, I
guess that explains it. Discovery, creativity and self-expression-
they are all there.
And that is
the spirit of the man.
Spirit...
If anything
can be gleaned from this most surreal life experience, it is spirit.
And, at least
from our personal experience today, that spirit has been beautiful.
Copyright © 2016 by
Sheryle Cruse
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