The scripture depicted in this tattoo is "in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" according to the new American Standard bible.
This woman has been a godsend to me. She first came to me the day I recently had a spiritual awakening, about 17 days ago. It was for the consult for this tattoo. She brought me a huge box of food, which was extremely amazing and delicious to boot! The gesture brought tears to my eyes because of her random act of kindness. This was a huge help to my family and I espeically since we've had some rough times. She said she'd read my blog and felt compelled by God to cook for us. This was the catalyst of that big day in which I was pulled out of a deep depression.
During our tattoo appointment this week, we connected even more. She brought me a colorful bouquet which was an inspiration for the colors we used that day. Throughout the tattoo, we realized how much we had in common. Well she's a pastor, and I'm not. However, we had plenty to chat about - parenting, marriage, and on and on. How lucky I feel to have people like this come into in my life through an occupation I love. It's such an honor to have this job. I'm able to create meaningful pieces of artwork for people who will enjoy them for life. I'm making permanent marks on their bodies and on occaision my clients make indelible marks on me and influence my life. This woman is a true example of this because she touched my heart.
My life is better now since I've accepted that I'm not the one who's in control anymore. My higher power is. I've embraced daily prayer. Not to say that my life is perfect now, but I have some tools to help me through the tough times. I still have a lot to work on, and I'm sure that I'll never be perfect. In conclusion, I'm a more positive and happier person.
This May is my anniversary of fifteen years since I first picked up and used a tattoo machine. That's almost half of my life thus far! It seems like yesterday that I had ten years under my belt. Time flies when you're having fun.
Well I can't say that it's always fun. It's exhausting. The hours are long and go beyond being at the shop and tattooing. There's answering emails, booking appointments, ordering and taking inventory of your supplies, and lots of drawing to do for homework. My hands go numb, my back hurts, we don't get a pension or health insurance, but I can make a living off of it. I'm not getting rich, driving a fancy car, or owning a home. Hopefully someday I'll be able to acquire those things, and my family is taken care of. The material things don't matter all that much to me anyway. What matters is that my family is loved, happy, fed, protected, and clothed. Besides the good outweighs the bad, and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing for a career.
Not to mention, people such as this woman make all of the hard work worth it. Perhaps I subconsciously forgot her containers so that we'll meet again soon. In conclusion, I can't forget to express my immense gratitude to the woman, Gale Mosman, who took me under her wing in 1996. Thank you Gale for teaching this tradition to me.
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