Hey there.
Welcome to a hit of hope.
I was on a Zoom call recently when my phone rang.
It was my son,
So I gladly clicked off the meeting and said,
Hey buddy,
What's up?
We chatted for a few minutes and then my son said,
I was calling because I wanted to tell you I got a haircut.
Okay,
I said,
Not sure why I needed to know this since my son was 27.
He said it was long enough that I could donate it to Locks of Love.
If you don't know,
Locks of Love is a group that makes sure all children who suffer hair loss,
Regardless of their financial status,
They make sure everyone can have access to a wig.
My son said,
I did it in honor of you.
My throat caught and I went back,
Back almost seven years ago to that time when I had to wait 75 days and I had to wait to get the very news I was dreading that I needed chemo for my breast cancer.
That wait and the powerlessness I felt as it all unfolded,
It reminded me of how I feel some mornings when I wake up right now.
But I survived and here was my son calling me to tell me he donated his hair in my honor.
I cleared my throat and said,
I can't tell you how much that means.
I laughed and then said,
Because as you know,
I never have the patience to grow my own hair out,
So I'm never gonna do it.
My son said,
Yeah,
Well,
I hate getting my hair cut,
So it's easy for me.
And then he went on to say he'd gone to the local beauty school where his stylist seemed to be very new and very unsure.
She kept asking him what he wanted done.
Finally,
My son said to her,
You know what?
Do whatever you need the most practice on.
The stylist couldn't believe it,
Nor could I.
Really,
She said?
Yeah,
Really.
In a world that can often feel like it is falling apart,
My son gave a stranger a gift.
Two strangers,
Actually.
And in so doing,
He reminded me,
We get to choose how we walk through whatever lies ahead.
Live light and shine.
