I’m getting a tattoo.
I can’t say that this was a lifelong dream. Though I never specifically articulated this to myself, I looked on most tattoos as the unconsidered whims of the bored. Anything that could be so important that it would be worth permanently emblazoning on your skin, I reasoned, did not need to be worn on your sleeve.
Then Marcel was born.
With her birth I realized that, unlike most important things–such as God, country or alma mater–your child will pull away from you. It’s a necessity of their life. The more they pull away, however, the more you want them close. And nothing is as close as a tattoo.
With Tristan’s birth–and my family probably complete–I could design a tattoo that would accurately reflect all of my children.
I wanted this tattoo to be more than just an accurate protrayal of my children but also an inspiration to them. I wanted it to represent more than just my love and devotion to them, but also to inspire them to be the kind of women that I think they can become. And so this tattoo not only symbolizes them but it also symbolizes the things I’d like to bequeath to them.
There is a symbol for my family. The family that birthed me and raised me made me the man that is worthy of being their father and, I think, is a foundation for their own growth and prosperity. There is a symbol for my faith which guides and inspires me and could play the same role for them. There is a symbol for duty, because that comes first. There is a symbol for ambition, because anything that’s worth doing is worth doing better than anybody else. And there are symbols for me and my daughters.
We still have some decisions to make about the design but, aside from colors, changes will be only in the margins. Then, the tattoo will probably take many hours over a month’s time to complete. When it is done, however, I will have a lasting tribute to my daughters. And knowledge of that, perhaps, will follow my daughters throughout their travels.
