"You'll look totally different, Emily," I warned again at the hairdresser's. Emily undid her braid and shook her hair loose until it fell down her back. "Cut right here," she told the hairdresser, her hands at chin level. "Eleven inches," the hairdresser measured.
Emily was transformed. I looked down at the beautiful red locks on the floor, wondering if my daughter had any regrets. "Some little girl out there is gonna be really happy," she said. Then I realized that I'd overlooked Emily's true trademark-her big heart.