My hairdresser was doing some important upkeep on me when she told me that she would be going away for six months. Trying not to show my purely selfish apprehension about this, I gulped and celebrated with her as we chatted about the awesome time she would have.
After our chit chat, I sat in another chair to let my hair process and grabbed a recent copy of People’s magazine. I saw a picture and read a story that put everything into perspective.
Farrah Fawcett was the first Hollywood icon or movie star I remember being fascinated with as a teenager. She was just so beautiful! Talk about hair, she had the perfect hair! I don’t know if there ever was an actor (I still want to say actress) who had so many girls aspiring to get that same look. But no one came close. I tried getting that wispy, curls flying outward look, but it only came out looking like a sausage stuck to both sides of my head.The article I was reading, showed her now - as she’s battling cancer in the worst way. She’s gone to Germany to try the newest treatments, but it all seems to be in vain. She’s frail, weak and, other than her partner spending time with her, she seems to be very much alone. Her one son was in jail for drug trafficking at the time the article was written.
And I read that she lost all of her hair.
Funny, sitting there in a chair in a salon, my eyes were opened. I continued thinking as I drove home. There are lessons to learn. I kept thinking about what she said at the end of the article, something about not having appreciated what she had and now all she wanted to do was to live.
Life on earth is no Garden of Eden any more. Daily we witness the enemy of our souls, the snake, with one goal - to deceive and destroy.
The thing is, because we are made in the image of God, we desire life in all its fullness, but we have to be careful not to be deceived but, instead, reach out to the only One Who can truly give life. The One who said, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” (John 11:25)
13 comments:
Great reminder of what really matters in life...thank you for sharing.
What a beautifully written post. Thanks, Mom. (That was one of the kids' memory verses today.)
Such a dreadful disease! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Your insights here are meaningful to many. There is so much identification with the external and temporal. Shiny skin and hair is a sign of health...When we attach our very essence with this external, temporal form, we cause ourselves great pain when it fades and diminishes. Celebrity beauty is marketed and sold (I remember Farah's red bathing suit poster- pinned up in almost every boy's college dorm room).
As external beauty fades, the light of God can shine through more easily.
As I sat next to my mother-in-law during her last earthly moments, her face physically distorted from her suffering ~ I saw a divine radiance ~ that of one coming into the presence of God. Albeit truly sad for our family, I will never forget the beauty of that transition.
We need to be reminded constantly to put things in perspective. 'The earthly things grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace'! Thanks, Anneliese.
Thank you for this, Aunt Lisa. It's incredible to think that at one time Farah (and her hair!) was such a celebrated icon - and now all the things that made her famous, are withering away. It's sad to realize how much Hollywood influences our society with this distorted perspective of glamorizing beauty, fame, and fortune.
Anneliese.. .you are such an amazing person that quietly brings such morsels of wisdom to our souls. Thank you . .
My hairdresser recently had maternity leave .. .so I feel your pain in that area as well.
Thank you Anneliese, you have reinforced something I've been thinking about recently as I've noticed the changes that age is bringing to me and to those in my age bracket. Perhaps one of the reasons our bodies betray age and illness is to encourage us to focus on spiritual beauty and eternal life.
Beautifully written! It is interesting what we take away from articles, and how we apply them to our own lives. Living no matter the outward appearance of oneself, should be more of an adventure than dolling up in the morning.
Farrah Fawcett was my favorite actress too, and I found a hairdresser that got my hair to be 'somewhat' close to her hairstyle for several years!
I am very sorry for what she is going through... and as far as I know she is doing it without the Lord! I can't imagine!
May the Lord send someone to her to tell her about the Gift that God is offering her!
I agree, Anneleise, sometimes we just need the jolt of someone else's reality to put our own worries into perspective!
Great lesson!!
What a powerful post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
What a powerful post indeed my friend! You are so wise and I am thrilled that the rest of the blogging world is finding out what I have known for years! ;-) Missing our walks but loving being here with the kids!
I have a friend currently going through chemo for breast cancer. She posted a single sentence on her facebook status last week that jolted me. She simply said, "I miss my hair." It quickly put my bad hair day into perspective.
Thanks for your sensitivity to what really matters in life, Anneliese.
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