A God Wink….

Like a lot of women, I have a standing appointment every six weeks to have my hair cut.  I’ve been going to Pam for years and love her to death.  This past week, for some reason it was a struggle for me to get there.  On Tuesday I completely forgot it and was almost home when I remembered.  It is a 45 minute drive from my house to Pam’s, so I called her and asked to reschedule.  So Thursday I was all ready to leave the house when I checked my calendar and saw that I was off by an hour, already 15 minutes late.  So, I called again and rescheduled for Saturday.  This time, I was 1.5 hours early…by golly I was not going to screw up a third time!!!

I killed some time at another shop and entered Pam’s salon about 45 minutes early.  She has a very comfortable couch which makes waiting easy.  Also, I have a clear view of her chair to watch her perform her art.  She really is a master hair cutter.  She was just finishing up a client when her next client entered, the one just before me.  It was a Mom, her husband and 2 young daughters, probably 9 yrs old and 6, I’m guessing.  It is unusual to see an entire family come in together, but they were all there and totally involved in Mom’s haircut.  

She had a beautiful, lush head of hair, just beyond shoulder length and very thick.  She showed Pam a photo of what she wanted and I know Pam well enough to read that she was a little surprised; Mom wanted a very short hair cut.  Pam asked a few more questions, ran her fingers through her hair, asked Hubby what he thought and the girls too.  And then she began cutting.  It was traumatic, even for me, an innocent bystander.  It took Pam about 45 minutes, but when she was done, Mom looked entirely different with a very stylish, up to date new do.  Mom was pretty emotional, but the girls were hugging her and Dad was pleased too.  It was a definite ‘make-over.’  

When they had left and I was in Pam’s chair I mentioned what a lovely change for her.  Pam responded, “You heard why she got her hair cut?”

“No, I didn’t.” 

“She has just been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.”

My first response was to think, I didn’t need to know that.  It totally took all the good feeling out of the room for me.  Pam told me she was scheduled for multiple cycles of chemo and she knew she would be losing her hair, so took a first step for herself.  Turns out her Mother, Father and a sister have all died of cancer.  

Then I thought about those two daughters, and what Mom must be thinking as she starts this journey of fighting for her life.  I’m not articulate enough to express my emotional response to this encounter… but in the end, it is a ‘God Wink’.  I had missed two prior appointments....for some reason, I was meant to be in Pam's shop on Saturday, so I could witness this incredible woman making some very tough decisions.  The God Wink makes sure I don’t lose track of my blessings and that I keep this family in my thoughts and prayers, whom I will no doubt never see again, but whom I will never forget.  Thanks for that God Wink, God....they help keep me real.