01/23/2026
2004
2009
2013
2017
2020
2024
Each of these years have been significant for me for many reasons but for today, these are important because these are the years that I chopped my hair. For 22 years, I spent a lot of time in silence in service to others.
While the people around me were changing colors and styles sometimes multiple times a year, I quietly continued my mission. I grew, I chopped, I grew and I chopped.
At 18 and pregnant with hair nearly to my butt, I recalled a moment with my mom. We were at her mother's home in Richmond, I was sitting on the floor between her legs as she was brushing my hair. I must have been about 9 or 10. My mom told me how beautiful my hair was and how a little girl with cancer would love to have some.
Fast forward to 13 years old when my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died within six months. I knew cancer was a dirty thief and it changed the trajectory of my life. At 18 and pregnant the trajectory changed again. This time I wasn't just thinking about myself, I began to reflect on my life.
I'd always been happiest when in service to others, whatever that looked like. I recalled that conversation with my mom and I began researching about hair donation. I could do that! A little girl with cancer could actually get a wig made with my hair! So, just barely outside of high school and on the verge of becoming a mother, I chopped the first time.
The Kindest Cut in Springfield, Virginia offered free cuts for hair donations, so I made it my mission. Every time I got the itch to cut, I'd wait a little longer, and then typically my hair had to be nearly to my butt so I could get an average of 15 inches and still have some length.
When I wanted to dye it, I couldn't. When I wanted to cut it into something different, I didn't. When strangers asked to pet my long blonde hair, I let them. For more than two decades, my hair has figuratively and literally held me back.
A week or so ago, I mentioned my itch to chop to a new colleague turned friend. She said something like "you can and will serve others in new ways", "you can help others without your hair". It was like a wake up. I felt the call to do something for me that I'd never done before in my whole adult life. I had been feeling it for a while and it wasn't just the normal itch to chop... I was being called to hang it up for good. Here I was thinking I was working on my 7th donation but in reality I am stepping into a season of brand new.
In the Bible a haircut can represent a significant life change... And if you follow The Everyday Oiler private Facebook group you know my life has changed significantly in the past year or so. I'm beyond excited for the opportunities ahead and even more excited that my friend took a chance and said what was on her heart and that I had the ability to hear it, to actually listen, process and then ask for help.
Thank you Brooke, this wasn't just a haircut. It was a major life decision. It was and is the best haircut I ever had, not just because of the actual haircut itself but the moments that led up to it and the time we spent together were meant to be. God never does anything by accident and His purpose might not be known yet, but I do know, it's all in the Glory of Him.
