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    Tattoos, life, joy and pain

    8 years ago I got a tattoo. It had been something I had been thinking about for a long time to commemorate a few major events in my life:
    – my mom beating cancer
    – my dad’s heart problems
    – a difficult relationship

    What I wanted to remember was that despite the difficult things that happened, I got through it and I’m a stronger person for it. I chose to put an ivy leaf on the small of my back (yes, yes, I’ve got a tramp stamp). Ivy, is a plant that can survive and thrive in dark and harsh conditions. I wanted it to serve as a reminder that as ivy can, I can get through difficult moments too.

    I spent awhile designing it (yes, myself thank you very much), and a few months of “marker practice” before I committed it in permanent ink. I wanted to be sure that this was something for me.

    It’s days like today that bring up the purpose of this tattoo. My dad had heart by-pass surgery. He’s now in recovery waiting to be transferred to intensive care. While he’s not officially out of the woods, he’s past the first hurdle.

    So while I wait, I’m here thinking of my body art and thought I’d share this part of me. Some explanation:

    1. I really like tribal body artwork. The 5-starred ivy leaf is my tribal interpretation.

    2. I left the blank space in the middle so that I can add life-changing events to it (I heard that once you get 1 tattoo you keep coming back, so instead of growing out on the canvas, I thought I’d grow in). I’m yet to add S and G to it. It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just not ready to yet, as I haven’t found just the right symbols for them.

    3. the notch on the top leaf is to remind me that bad events can carry their scars. But you all dig scars, right?

    That’s it for now. It’s been a long day.

    Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers and general positive words from today.

    2 responses to “Tattoos, life, joy and pain”

    1. Grammie says:

      So glad you Dad has passed the first hurdle, keep us posted.

    2. Wendy says:

      Love you A! You are one of the strongest people I know! It is okay to have your down time, but I can’t think of a better symbol for you than the ivy! You get it from you dad, and I believe he will be just fine! You have a strong family!

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