Prayer #91: Locks of Love

In two weeks, I will lose all my hair.

Well, not all of it. About 10 inches. But still, when you've wrestled with long, thick hair for nearly two years, and nurtured each strand to keep it strong and healthy despite your infuriated brushing, losing 10 inches can make you feel like Al Roker.

The day my strands meet the shears will also mark the second time I'm donating to Locks of Love, a well-known non-profit that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. I've always had hair to spare, and knowing my stubborn waves will be reborn on the head of a child who just wants to feel normal again more than blunts the trauma of paying for a new hairstyle in a major metropolitan area.

But before I paint myself as the DC version of the follicularly blessed St. Agnes of Rome, I must reveal my ulterior motive. When I cut off this mane in two weeks, I will also sever the year that was. When the trimmings fall to the floor, every tangle, knot, and bad hair day will sweep away with them.

This cut will be more than a new look; it will be a new attitude. No more frumpy outlook. No more hesitating to change. No more constant weight on my shoulders (and on my head, and on my back, and occasionally in my eyes ...).

I won't forget the good times I had under this mop top -- beach breezes, dress-up curls, "show hair," and more. But it's time for new times, good or bad, and my fresh coiffure will remind me to accept growth in all places.

To the child who gets my crazy hair: Enjoy it. Take care of it. And when you outgrow the wig, pass it forward in great faith and appreciation. That's all I ask for the shrub, and all you can ask of yourself.

Prayer #91: Locks of Love

Beautifying God --

Take scissors to what I've long held dear, and help me shed the nasty tangles clogging my drains.

Show me not split ends, but clean starts that let me look in the mirror with confidence and hope.

Give me a snip, a trim, and a little off the top until I'm back in style -- Your style -- the unique style You crafted for me before I even had hair, and that You wait with eager eyes for me to request every time I show up in Your chair.

To the Stylist who always listens --

Amen.