I Have Hair!!!

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Grandma's Ramblings

Those who follow my blog know that I lost my hair 19 years ago after 16 treatments with three powerful chemo drugs following surgery for breast cancer. Although the doctor assured my hair would come back for years I did not. It was only a few years ago that we found out that one of the drugs I was given could cause permanent hair loss.

I was okay with that – I just wore a wig. No one ever knew it was a wig and were surprised when they found out.

Lately, however, I became tired of the wig. Old age I guess. I also was showing some hair growth – not much – very thin – but hair.

My two daughters encouraged me to take the wig off and see if my hair might grow back. They wondered if the wig might be preventing hair growth

I was scared – but I decided to take the plunge and do it.

My approach to difficulties of life has always been:

with a strong faith in God and a good sense of humor I can handle this.

So – I wrote a couple of blogs trying to make fun of my baldness.

Give Me Hair!!!

Little Miss Vain

Now – after about three months without the wig – I HAVE HAIR!!!!

It’s pretty thin – but it’s my hair!!!!

As it grew back it was a sloppy unkempt mess. I had to let it get some length before I could get it styled so for a few weeks I was so embarrased to go out in public – but I just remembered my prayer “Give me hair!” and was thankful that God was answering that prayer.

Finally a couple of weeks ago I was able to go to a beauty salon and get it styled. The stylist kept asking me if I wanted to use a curling iron or a blow dryer and how I wanted it styled. . Since it had been 19 years since I had any hair to comb or style, 19 years since I had been to a beauty salon, I put myself in her hands and trusted her to guide me through this.

So once again I have hair. It is not thick – it is not red – but it is my hair! I am getting used to the white/grey and actually beginning to like it.

I am so happy and grateful – I HAVE HAIR!!!

My First Solo Performance

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Grandma's Ramblings

Continuing my posts on the old gospel songs we used to sing, today I remember the first song I ever performed in public.

As a young girl I took piano lessons and when my father, who was a minister, had speaking engagements he often would have me play and sing something before he spoke. Although I was shy, I think this experience gave me confidence in appearing before an audience that helped me later as I became a speaker for women’s events and a pastor’s wife.

Just how good my voice and piano playing was remains open to question, but with my red hair in banana curls, I was a hit.

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The first song I learned to play was an old song born in the slave fields of the southern states. Although the original author of the spiritual is unknown, it is acknowledged that the song arose from the oral tradition of songs passed from person to person and generation to generation among the plantations of the South.

Imagine being a slave and totally at the mercy of the slave owner. What kind of life could it be when you were forced to work from dawn to sunset? When you could be beaten or sold to another slave owner without a chance to even say goodbye to your family? No promise of freedom – how easy it would be to despair of life.

But somewhere in that life of sorrow and pain many slaves found hope in God. In spite of their circumstances they clung to the belief that God was in control and they found courage in that belief.

They sang:

He’s got the whole world in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands

The song was first published in 1927 in the hymnal Spirituals Triumphant, Old and New. Later it was introduced in the USA and became popular with the folk song crowd in the 30’s and 40’s.

Laurie London, a young British singer, released the song in 1957. It quickly became #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Since then many artists have made recordings of the song, but perhaps one of the most famous (and my favorite) is Mahalia Jackson’s version.

The verses have changed depending on who was singing the song but this verse was not in my version of the song. ♥

He’s got the gamblin’ man in His hands
He’s got the sinner man in His hands
He’s got the gamblin’ man in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands

As I grew up and became more proficient in my music, I left that song behind. But recently as I have played for the residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes, I have added it back to my selection of songs.

While they sit and listen to the songs I play – when I play this one I am guaranteed that many will join in with me and smiles will be in abundance.

Since I began singing this song again, I added my own verse for the senior citizens.

He’s got all us old folks in His hands
He’s got all us old folks in His hands
He’s got all us old folks in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalms 19:1

“Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens. Isaiah 48:13

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8

Check out the other gospel songs I have written about here:

“My” Hymn – Great is Thy Faithfulness

From “You Are My Sunshine” to “Dawning of the Age of Aquarius”

Recognize This Beloved Song – “Faith’s Review and Expectations”

From a Fiery Redhead to a Silver Fox

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Grandma's Ramblings

Growing up I loved being a red-head. Not really confident in my looks, I felt my red hair made me special. There are not that many red-heads around. One of my sisters was a brunette and the other a dark blonde. When we met people I would be the one they would notice first because of my red hair.

My grandmother had been a red-head and as she aged, she began to lose her eyesight. When we would go to visit she would have me stand in the door where the sunlight would shine through and she could see my red hair. Again, that made me feel special.

On Saturday nights my mother would roll my hair into banana curls (just like Shirley Temple) and come Sunday morning I would feel so special.

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For many years I kept that red hair.

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Then cancer came and chemo and I lost all that thick red hair.

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The doctor told me not to worry, after treatment my hair would come back even thicker. But it did not. It slowly came back but it was very, very thin and it was grey. They did tests trying to figure out what was wrong because my hair should have come back much thicker that it did.

Only a few years ago we found one of the drugs used caused permanent hair loss. But not to worry. There are always red wigs.

I began wearing a wig during my cancer treatment so afterwards I just continued to wear a wig.

Long after my natural hair was grey I remained a red-head. I told my husband that I would remain “red until dead.”

The last few years as all my friends turned grey I have debated with myself if I should start wearing a grey wig. I hated losing that special feeling of being a red-head.

But this April I will turn 71 so I decided to make the change.

I used to tease my husband and said I was a fiery red-head. Putting on my new grey wig, he pronounced that I am now a silver fox.

It’s taking a little time to get used to the new look – but I think being a silver fox will be just as much fun as a fiery red-head.

Fiery Red-heads Have More Fun!

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Grandma's Ramblings

Growing up as a red-head I soon grew tired of all the comments:

Where did she get her red hair? My parents were always asked this since they both had dark hair and my siblings all had brown or black hair.
And my Dad’s response to people’s questions on where I got my red hair – “She stood out in the rain and her hair rusted.”
Is that your natural hair color?
Being told what you can and can’t wear gets annoying. For years I was told I should not wear red. I loved the color and it was not until I was in my late 20’s that I decided to wear what I wanted to wear. To my surprise, I found that I look fine in red!
Hey carrot top!
Hey red!
Hey firetop!
One young boy made my life miserable for a while by chanting every time I came around, “I’d rather be dead than red on the head.”
I bet you have a temper!
Are you Irish?

So for the first few years of my life, I hated being a red-head. Then I discovered what a rare group I belong to (only 1-2% of humans in the world have red hair) and I have loved being a red-head ever since. When my pastor husband and I attended conferences, he said it was great having a wife with red hair. When the meetings broke up and everyone was trying to find their wife in the crowd, he just looked for the red-head – and there I was. It also made it easy when someone would ask him, “Which one is your wife?” Simple answer – “The red-head.”

My two sisters had dark blonde and brown hair. Years later when we would meet someone who knew our family in the past, they always would remember me – “the little red-head” even if they did not remember my sisters. (I think they may have hated that.)

My paternal grandmother had red hair (and Irish ancestry). I was one of the last grand-kids born in the family so by the time I was a young girl, Grandma was losing her sight. When we would visit, she would always have me stand in the doorway where the sun would strike my hair and she could see my long red banana curls (yes, I had banana curls). I think more than anything else seeing Grandma’s pride in me made me feel very special and love the idea of being a red-head. As I have grown older, I have wanted to learn more about my Irish ancestry. Think researching that will be my next item on my “bucket list” in retirement.

Learning more about red-heads I discovered:

Red-heads have influenced history out of proportion to their numbers. Famous red-heads include King David, Helen of Troy, Queen Elizabeth I, Cleopatra, Napoleon Bonaparte, Antonio Vivaldi, Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill – and of course Lucy (although she was a “fake” red-head).
Russian tradition declares that red hair is both a sign that a person holds a fiery temper and craziness. A Russian Proverb warns “There was never a saint with red hair.”
Mark Twain said, “While the rest of the species is descended from apes, red-heads are descended from cats.”
We are a big hit in the wizarding world!

We have the most beautiful Disney princess!

Some “facts” I’m not sure are true, but they certainly are interesting.

Medieval Romanians believed red-heads turned into vampires when they died.
Hitler is reported to have wanted red-heads killed so that they could not produce “degenerate children”.
The witch-hunting manual from medieval Europe, Malleus Maleficarum, instructed that red hair and green eyes were marks of a witch. (Thankfully my eyes are brown.)
And I found there is a study done in Hamburg, Germany and another in England that claimed women with red hair had sex more often. (Not sure if that is a blessing or a curse.)

One question I used to be asked a lot was “Is that your real color?” No one asks that now – guess that’s because they assume that anyone my age who still has red hair must being using Miss Clairol. However, some brave souls do ask me, “Is that the color your hair used to be?”

Well – I don’t use hair dye – I use a wig! After 16 rounds of chemo when battling my breast cancer, I lost my hair. When it grew back, it was still red but very, very thin. After a couple of years of hoping I would regain the thick head of hair I first had, I gave up and popped on a wig.

Yes, my wig is the same color that my hair used to be. Sometimes I think I should buy a grey wig since I’m well past the age of natural red hair. But one thing my husband really loved about me when we got married was my red hair. So – taking the teasing chant the little boy used to taunt me with, I have changed it from, ‘I’d rather be dead than red on the head” to “I will be red until I’m dead.”

Brunettes may be smarter, blondes may have more fun, but nothing beats the intrigue and fascination of being a red-head.

Thank you Grandma Tate Sechrest for my red hair!!!