Hope, Belief & Curling Iron

There was a lady I came to know back in Colorado, who shopped at my store every once in awhile. I never knew her name, but I knew her face. And I'll never forget the day I learned her story.

From the day I met her, she was alway wearing a do-rag, which was not uncommon in Vail. She would arrive, shop around, and maybe purchase a few items--she would always smile. A rare refreshment in my day. One day as she approached the counter, I realized the do-rag was not just a way to keep her hair out of her eyes as she exercised, nor was it a just a fashion statement. She wore it to feel normal. Under that do-rag were the frail remains of once flowing locks of hair. I assume she recognized the curiousness on my face, and my pause was probably something she was used to experiencing. She smiled and shared her story with me.

She had been diagnosed with cancer some time back and was now undergoing chemo-therapy treatments, and it truly had taken it's toll. Eight months prior, her hair had begun to thin, people had begun to stare, and she had begun wearing the do-rag in which I was so accustomed to seeing her. In addition to the pain of losing what many would consider her "outer beauty," her doctors shared that they were all skeptical of the cancer going into remission.

Despite what the "professionals" thought, she felt that sometime down the road, her health would return, as well as her hair. The hope and belief in her eventual recovery prompted her to do something many people would not have the strength or courage to do. As she finished her story, she placed a curling iron on the counter to purchase. And as she looked at me, she smiled once again and said, "Someday."

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13