I woke up early and set my work clothes on the bed , neatly pressed , organized , and totally professional . I had prepared for my largest work presentation to date . I had recently gotten married , and it felt like my entire life had been upended . Overnight and upon saying , “ I do ,” my “ single ” status was replaced with “ spouse ,” “ stepmom ,” and “ pastor ’ s wife .” And as if that didn ’ t feel like enough changes , I also accepted a brandnew job working at a global anti – human trafficking organization , A21 . While fighting the ills of modern-day slavery , I instantly inherited a five-year-old stepdaughter , Ryen , and seven-year-old stepson , Parker . I knew mornings were chaotic while trying to get the kids ready for school , so I made sure I was fully prepared early for my big meeting : rebranding a global nonprofit organization in nine countries .
I had worked on this project for three months , and our entire team was ready for the big pitch to our CEO and global manager . While my husband , Matt , cleaned up after breakfast , I changed into my perfectly ironed work
clothes and called Ryen into the bathroom to comb her hair . Ryen had beautifully thick , wavy , dark hair that sometimes got matted while she slept at night . She tugged and pulled at her hair , and I noticed her scratching behind her ears .
I sprayed her hair generously and grabbed a hair pick to make a perfect line down the center of her head . I pulled her locks apart like two heavy curtains and noticed little black-and-white dots all over her hair and scalp . I dragged the comb through her mane . But the dots didn ’ t disappear . In fact , the dots moved .
I leaned down toward Ryen ’ s tiny head and realized the dots were lice . Not just a few little creepy-crawlers but an entire infestation of parasitic insects making their home on my daughter ’ s head .
Explaining the importance of my meeting and all the work that had gone into preparation , I told Matt I had to leave early to set up for the presentation . He generously said
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