a sweet little story

One of my biggest childhood regrets was cutting Skipper's hair. She was brand new, and I don't know what possessed me... I guess I thought she just needed a little trim. But... I didn't trim it straight... the left was longer than the right... then the right longer than the left. Before I knew it, Skipper was sporting a very short bob. I was heart sick... and felt guilty for ruining a toy... especially a new one. Probably out of guilt, I made sure she never got left behind... she always got to ride in the car with Barbie... shop at the boutique for a new outfit... I even got her a horse. I certainly learned my lesson and never ever cut another doll's hair.

I have been a lucky Mom. Neither of my children have ever taken scissors to a prized toy... or their own hair. Well, at least not in a way that was obvious. Because there was one summer that I found a beautiful picture, drawn by my daughter... with little bits of her beautiful blond hair glued on here and there. She must have trimmed her hair from underneath... I just couldn't tell that she even did it. I didn't stay mad long.... but I figured she would never do it again. I was so furious that I threw the picture away... but oh, how I wish I had saved it. How I would love to post it right here for all to admire...

School was starting up... Laura headed off to kindergarten... and I was lending my hands at the pre-school... preparing for the new little ones. Reliving summer memories, I mentioned to Miss Julie what Laura had done... and expressed that I couldn't imagine where she would have gotten the idea to cut her hair. The look on Miss Julie's face was priceless... and clearly, she was wavering between remorse and laughter. So I waited... and then she said I'm sorry. It is my fault. My look of disbelief caused her to elaborate... and soon we were both smiling, with a tear or two escaping down our cheeks. You see... there is a story.

In the last days of pre-school, Miss Julie had shared a story with her little ones... a story about a little girl named Lucy... who was making a beautiful picture for her Grandfather... who was blind. Lucy used scraps of fabric and paper to create a story her Grandfather could see... with his hands. Lucy made sure to include a golden retriever... and covered the dog with her golden hair...

Oh... how I wish I had saved that picture....