The magazine article promised - "How to Cut Hair in Ten Easy Steps!" Wow! That sounds great!
"Mom, look at this article! May I cut your hair?"
Surprisingly, she agreed. Chair, sheet, scissors comb and victim, er, I mean volunteer.
Step 1 - "OK, I can do this..."
Step 2 - "Looks fine so far..."
Step 3 - "Hmmm, I wonder if I'm doing this right?"
Step 4 - "Oh, oh!"
Step 5 - "We'd better stop now..."
Well, the article had one thing right - steps. My mom's scalp looked like the well-worn steps of Chichen Itza! Whatever possessed my mom to allow her inexperienced 15-year-old daughter to cut her hair?
One thing. Love.
My mom passed away from ovarian cancer in 2009. I never did get to thank her for all the opportunities she gave us to experiment; whether it was in the kitchen, learning to clean, or even with her own hair.
Mom, you taught us that:
- If we made a mess in the kitchen, it could be cleaned up.
- Learning can be messy and imperfect. You knew that with practice, we'd improve. You didn't follow us around and redo our first sweeping/dusting/vacuuming attempts.
- Hair will grow back and a good hairdresser can work wonders! (Thankfully!)
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Thank you.
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Funny what triggers tears. Your beautiful imagery of the perhaps not so beautiful haircut reminds me of the time we debated whose hair would go into making my mother’s wig when she was dying of the same cause. In the end, she opted for a stripey cap. We have it still. Thanks, Marianna.
If I start writing about my mother, I won’t be able to stop. All four children of hers, will reflect the same sentiment. She was like lighthouse guiding us in stormy seas and all four of us owe much of our successes to her. She died in 1999. She lives in all our memories.
Kathrin,
Bittersweet moments, for sure.
Ramana,
What a lovely tribute to your mother. Such a great legacy she left in you, her children and through you, her grand-children.
Great post, Marianna. Loved it!