When my eight-year-old daughter, Emily, announced that she wanted to cut her long red hair, I hesitated. “Are you sure?” I asked, adjusting her French braid. Her hair was her trademark and she’d never had a real cut, only a trim. But Emily was determined. She’d read a magazine story about Locks of Love, a nonprofit company that makes hairpieces for children who have lost their hair, and wanted to help.
“You’ll look totally different, Emily,” I warned again at the hairdresser’s. Emily undid her braid and shook her hair loose until it fell down her back. “Cut right here,” she told the hairdresser, her hands at chin level. “Eleven inches,” the hairdresser measured.
Emily was transformed. I looked down at the beautiful red locks on the floor, wondering if my daughter had any regrets. “Some little girl out there is gonna be really happy,” she said. Then I realized that I’d overlooked Emily’s true trademark-her big heart.
