grace's new 'do

One day a few weeks ago when I was waiting to pick Luke up from Kindergarten, I heard another mom tell her child that they were going to Nana's so she could perm and cut her hair.   So I asked her if she cut hair and if she did it for other people or just family.  She said she did and so I asked her if she would cut Grace's hair for me.  This mama has two beautiful children also from Guatemala and has met Grace many times.  Her reply was that she would be honored to cut Grace's hair and would not take any money for it. 

I've been looking for someone who cuts hair and could come to our house for Grace for a while now.  Her hair was past her shoulders and was getting tangled easily.  It would take about 10 minutes some mornings just to get all the knots out of her hair.  She doesn't like to sit still and would cry and try and get away from me the whole time.  It was beginning to add stress to our mornings.  I knew I could always take her to the salon again and have it cut in the private room (to avoid the over stimulation caused by all the noise and lights).  But this option was really time consuming and expensive.

I confirmed with Maria that she was serious in her offer to help and we picked a day that worked for both of us.  Every time I saw her before the hair cut she would comment on how happy she was to be doing this for us.  She also confirmed that she absolutely would not allow me to pay her for this service.  Last Friday was the day.  I was little nervous about how Grace would do since she has only gotten her hair cut a few times.  But Grace did really well.  She got about 3 1/2 or 4 inches cut off, into a chin length bob.

Prior to having a child like Grace it was difficult for me to ask for help, let alone accept it.  I like to be self sufficient and struggle way more with pride than I'd like to admit.  But since we've had Grace in our family, I've learned that the only way to survive is to ask for help.  Sometimes, pride gets in my way and I wait too long to seek out help (but that's usually just in the really big issues).  Thankfully, God knows what I need to work on and has taught me that needing and accepting help is not a sign of weakness.  That true strength comes when we know and understand our limitations and can reach out to the people that he has placed in our lives to help and support us.  And that sometimes, the gift you give others is letting them help you.  That you give others the gift of letting them bless you with their gifts and talents.



I'm so thankful to Maria who did a wonderful job on Grace's hair!  Isn't the cut cute on her?  I love this picture because you can see the back in the mirror.  She looks so adorable with her new bob.  And almost as important, there was no stress these past few mornings in doing her hair.