Warning

A poem by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rainAnd pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only eat bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

This is the poem that inspired the RED HAT SOCIETY.

My mother has started a Red Hat chapter of her own here in the area. We have 11 ladies and have grown really close over the last 2+ years. I am the only pink hatter of the group but I still have a lot of fun with them. It has shown me how important friendships are to women. No matter what life brings you, good friends will always be there to lift you up!

We have gatherings once a month and do everything from going to Chuck E Cheese to eating at fancy restaraunts. It is a wonderful time of letting your inner child out. We each dress up in our red (or pink) hat and purple (or lavender) clothes and accessories. We have lots of laughs and giggles!

This is a wonderful bonding experience for mother and daughter! Start your Red Hat chapter today!

http://www.redhatsociety.com/membership/startChapter.html?