Inspired today by Jo-Ann my Hair Stylist

Thursday, March 10 2011

I decided to treat myself to a color and cut yesterday.  It's been a while.  Actually, the last time was back in   August.  I frequent more than one shop in the area.  This time I decided to go back to Jo-Ann.  She is the owner of the shop.
I am a quiet and pretty shy person.  So usually the hair dresser does most of the talking.  Jo-Ann, though, is the type of person who makes one feel as if you and she are the only two people in the room.
Normally when asked how I am doing, my response is "Fine, how are you?" But  Jo-Ann made me feel as though she really wanted to know how I was really doing.
So I told her about what has been going on over the past 16 months.  Taking care of my mother in our home during the last months of her life. She died last November 2009 two days before Thanksgiving.  Then in January of 2010, my 34 year old son was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.
When I told Jo-Ann about my son, she stopped and looked at me, the color bottle paused in the air.  She said "Lynda, I want you to know something."   And then she told me the most amazing story.
  Jo-Ann was diagnosed with stage IV Lymphoma.  She was newly divorced from a husband who beat her during  the last 10 years of their marriage.  She had two young daughters 11 and 8 years old.    The doctors told her that there was nothing they could do for her.  She was told to get her affairs in order and make provisions for her children.  They gave her a time frame of about 6 weeks.  However before she left she was asked if she would be willing to participate in a trial and she accepted.  She went through intensive Chemo therapy for many months.  The Chemo made her very sick.  She lost all of her hair.  She had to be away from her family, (the hospital was in Washington DC) and could not care for her children.
Because she could not bear the thought of having her girls be under the care of her ex-husband, she told me that she made a pact with God.   She said her prayer was, "Please God, let me live to see my girls graduate from High School, then you can take me."
Well that was thirty years ago.  As Jo-Ann said to me, "and I am still here!"  She pointed to a photo of a beautiful young woman which she had on her mirror.  "That is my grand daughter, she will be graduating High School in a few months."

I left the salon inspired and hopeful.  And of course my hair looked great too!