My Tattoo - WC 11/7

All tattoos have meaning otherwise the bearer would not have taken time, spent money or endured pain to receive it.

My tattoo is significant to me because it is a representation of my family. Four simple lines connected by a baseline that binds us. It is on my wrist so that it can be a constant reminder of the indelible connection I have with three other human beings.

The little children we nurtured grew into adults who became truly good human beings. Then they expanded our circle of four into a corral of six with the inclusion of their life partners.

The lines, which each of us four inscribed onto our arms: as a formula for family solidarity, a symbol of enduring grounding and reaching, as a shield of protection and honor, as a simple but fervent love, have linked us together in this world in a real way.

The pain? Tolerable. The cost? Negligible. The way it will last? Till death on my body but till eternity on my soul.