Ah, Madeleina...15 going on 9

Well, yesterday, my daughter Madeleina, who turned 15 on April 9, discovered that it was National Lupus Awareness Month, and so she and some friends approached their school principal and asked if an announcement about it could be made on the school intercom system. The girls also asked the principal to ask all students in the 9th grade campus to wear something purple each Tuesday of the month as a reminder of the awful disease and the search for a cure.
   The principal evidently thought it all a splendid idea and made the announcements, both about the month and about Purple Tuesdays.
   Madeleina was understandably thrilled.
   Until she remembered that she has no purple clothes. Then she was distraught. Then she was angry. Then she wondered who would do something so stupid as make everybody in school wear purple on each Tuesday in May anyway?
   By this morning she'd calmed down a little. She refused the dark red shirts I offered to lend her which, if seen through the right pair of blue sunglasses lenses might look purple. She refused to wear the purple witch hat left over from some ancient Halloween as well. Instead, as she got into the car for me to take her to school I watched as she took an old piece of a purple sheet or something and pinned it onto her tee-shirt. It will be flapping from that single pin all day.
   When she was finished and I complimented her on her complete insanity, she grew serious.
   "Dad," she started, "just what is lupus anyway? I mean, I know it's horrible and it's Lupus Awareness month and all, but what does it do exactly?"
   That's my girl: Jump in head first then ask if there's any water in pool.
   15, going on six some days and going on 35 on other days.
   Thanks for being my baby, baby.