The pieces of art that I have put on my body have cost me an arm and a leg to have done. The hours that I spent inside a tattoo shop were grueling and some of the most painful experiences I've ever had. But honestly, I wouldn't trade any those hours for anything.
Five times, I allowed the artist to create the piece on my skin and literally cause me to bleed. It was worth it to have a significant part of my life put on my body forever. Five times over and I finally want to share these deeper meanings that are incredibly important to my life.
My first and second tattoos reside on my chest and my left wrist. The chest was way more painful honestly, I know, judge me later. On my chest is the word blessed and on my wrist are the words God is greater than the highs and lows. These two hold the same thing, they symbolize my undying and unfailing love for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I'm not a perfect person by any means, but when the times get down and the world seems to swallow me whole I look at these and realize my life is in God's hands. He is greater than anything on this earth and I feel blessed to be his child and walk through life with him by my side always.
I have an owl on my back, owls aren't even my favorite animal. Hear me out, this was a very intricate piece and the artist took his time and did an amazing job. The reason for the owl was something not very many people know, but the owl is a symbol for wisdom.
I got this at a time when I was not taking my studies very seriously and really thought college wasn't for me. But, this bird is here now and I won't say it is the reason why I finally got my foolishness together, but hey it was definitely part of it. So, thank you owl for making me feel a little wiser when I'm studying.
Easily my most impulsive tattoos are the arrows on my ribs. This was impulsive, I cannot lie. I thought the look was nice, but I did my research behind it. These four arrows are symbolic of strength. Four arrows are very difficult to break all at once and the power behind it makes me feel like I can go through any wall, tackle things head on, and know that I'm tougher than that you can do it. Was it impulsive? Yes, maybe so but I came to understand the hard lesson of strength and I keep the mindset, no one can break me easily.
I hate to bring the emotion down, but my fifth is one that I have not shared the deeper connection with. When I was a kid my mom got a tattoo on her upper ankle of a rose with my brothers and my initials on the stem. It was amazing to see that my mom would go through the pain to get those letters on her.
As you can probably guess, I also decided to get a rose tattoo. Right on my hip, it was pretty painful but it was amazing to have it. One day I want to get my mom, dad, and brother initials put within the flower. My mom inspired this personal and meaningful artwork. My roses are for my family. Also thank you, mom, for making me remember to keep your family and loved ones close to you.
Do you any of you have tattoos that mean a lot to you? I would love to hear your stories! We can also trade stories about the pain that goes into it as well and what your favorite pieces are.