Thursday, August 5, 2010

I always have sunshine on a cloudy day

My third and final tattoo I got the week after my Grandmother died.  After my first tattoo I came home to visit and she admired my rose and admitted that she wished she had the nerve to do something so daring.  Back in the day women with tattoos were considered to be of loose moral character.  But secretly she always thought they were cool and really, really wanted one. 

After she passed I found myself once again wanting to script something on my body in her honor.  One of my good friends went with me and this is the one I ended up getting.  It was not planned, rather more spur of the moment, but in later reflection I could not have picked a better symbol to honor her memory or her legacy.

The eye of Ra.  Ra was the universally worshipped king of the Egyptian gods.  A sun god, he was said to command the chariot that rode across the sky during the day.  He is the only god apart from Osiris who is said to be not on the earth.  As an aging god, to old to deal with his children, he went off to the heavens to watch over the world.

She used to call me "Sunshine".  She was being sarcastic since I hated being woken up before noon.  I was a teenager.  None of us liked getting up before noon.  She would stand at the door to my room and poke me with a broom stick while chanting, "Wakie, wakie Sunshine."

Plus I like the idea of her driving a chariot across the sky during the day and watching over me.  It fits with who she was when she was alive.   Ra lived in the heavens and I know for a fact that is where she is too.

Besides, this way wherever I am, there is always sunshine.  

For Patty, just because she asked:
Rose: right ankle
Butterfly: left ankle
Sun: Right foot (hurt more to get this one then other two combined.) 

3 comments:

Linda G. said...

Another beauty! Hey, don't you need one on your left foot now, just to restore balance? ;)

Margaret said...

I love how much thought you put into each of your tattoos.

muffintopmommy said...

Very sweet...and btw, I call each of my sons, "sunshine"....not to sound corny, but I honestly think it's one of the nicest names to be called....who wouldn't want to radiate like the sun? Your grandma rocked! :) Very nice of you to honor your grandma w/a new tatoo.