I was getting ready this morning and getting frustrated with what to do with my hair (didn't look good down, wasn't staying up...). Then I remembered a reason to smile.

Mr. C. does a lot of work with the youth in our church. He volunteers countless hours. The youth in our church come from many different backgrounds and families and have grown up in the roughest neighborhoods of the inner city. Their range of world experience usually doesn't go much farther than a few streets over from where they live. Mr. C. drives them to all church activities and meetings and on one such occasion I accompanied him to pick some of the youth up from a three day summer youth conference about an hour outside of the city. My hair had been frustrating me on that particular day too. So I leaned back and asked one of the girls to braid my hair so that it would just be out of my face (I cannot braid my own hair to save my life). Her dark hair was in several nice braids so I figured she would be much more successful at making my hair stay.

She was extremely hesitant and shy but finally agreed.

I leaned my head back a little and she put her hands out to separate my hair into parts.

I heard a little gasp.

Then,

"It's so soft!...It's like Barbie hair!"

Well, no one's ever said I have Barbie hair. I was flattered. And greatly amused. Apparently there is a first time for everything and I found myself smack in the middle of a cultural experience. It was sweet, innocent--- a moment that I will never forget.

And it makes me smile.