Cranial Peace

This took place a while ago, but I think of it often as it is sort of my "nutshell" picture of what I cherish so much about my Gracie.

You see I have this hair problem. There are these strong-willed tufts of hair on each side of my head that occasionally tire of blending in and following the crowd. Seized with rebellion and resisting all natural and chemical efforts to control them, they sometimes rise up in a coup and demand to be noticed. On such days I have two options. Three actually, but since I look rather silly in hats, I am left to wear little barrettes just over my ears like my girls, or go about my day resembling a great-horned owl.
During one such recent uprising, I spent no small amount of time trying every trick I knew to appease those willful little tufts into submission for a trip to Costco. Just when I thought I had finally achieved a temporary peace with my hair, Grace came up to me with a look of wonder and admiration on her little face.

"Oh, Mama!" She exclaimed with all of her dramatic sincerity, "That's pretty! You look like a butterfly!"

Not really the look I was going for. And yet. . . I made a different kind of peace with my hair that day. Because no matter how bad I think my hair day is, my daughter thinks I'm pretty!