Hair for Gabriella

Recognize this face??? It's sweet Gabriella, but she has long hair! I haven't gotten a good shot with my camera, but I was anxious to share so the picture from my phone will have to do for now. I've mentioned how much she has missed her hair since it was shaved when she got to Hannah's Hope. The relaxer helped, but I still catch her in the mirror pretending that her hair is long & she's flipping it over her shoulder or moving it out of her face. This weekend, I took the plunge & bought her a real wig (gulp!). It dawned on me that if she had gotten her head shaved for chemo, we would have gotten her a wig. And even though she in no where close experiencing the pain of chemo, she still deserves to feel girlie! Plus, I found out that it's not unusual in the black community to wear a wig (you know...for the days you want straight hair or longer hair :-) ). She was so proud of her new hair. The look on her face was priceless! There is something innate in girls & women to need their hair! It just helps us feel extra good about ourselves...right! The funniest part was that as we were leaving the mall, she looked up at me & said, "Now I look like Barack Obama's friend!". To which I asked, "You mean his wife or his daughters?". She said, "His daughters.". I laughed b/c it was so cute, but I was also proud b/c it seemed like for the first time she has been proud to identify herself as a brown-skinned little girl!