Monday, September 19, 2005

A FAMILY HISTORY IN WIGS

Footnote to Sunday’s story about our daughter’s car accident in which school officials found a sack of wigs in the back of her car – not a bong, not a meth lab, not guns and knives. The media may portray teenagers as having more of THAT kind of stuff. But most parents know that a sack of wigs is much more representative of the kinds of things that go on in their lives.

Those wigs could serve a cultural anthropologist attempting to piece together the story of our family.

The Dolly Parton wig? My dad wore it for me one time so I could style it in an updo to go with the $1 cowgirl dress I got at a thrift shop for a singing gig at a cousin’s rehearsal dinner.

The long blonde one? Our black lab Shadow wore it for Halloween one year.

The black skunk mullet was when I was Morticia for a Halloween haunted house we had in our basement, and the close-cropped, curly gray one was for Eden in fourth grade when she played the lead role as “Granny” in the school musical comedy, complete with a stuffed behind and rolled-down knee-high pantyhose.

A friend wore the humoungus Afro to the grocery store on a dare once, and we all wore some of the blonde ones to my sister’s 50th birthday party, in which we made fun of her once again for being a blonde.

On second thought, don’t let any social scientist near that sack of wigs. They might conclude that our “tribe” is crazy and needs to be put on a reservation for safekeeping. And they’d be right.

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Prayer request: A wise friend read the story of the crash, and asked whether we were praying for the teenage driver who was at fault, that he would accept responsibility, repent, and vow to drive safely for the rest of his life. Lord, hear our prayer of thanksgiving that he wasn’t hurt, either, and work in his life to encourage him and draw him closer to You and maturity. We also pray that Eden will be able to fully forgive him and let him know it, whole-heartedly and without reservation, because she walks in the joy of Your keeping. (Psalm 121:5-8)

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