Dandelion

I can’t say that I’m a proponent of tattoos. I could never understand the need for Rob and Dave (or anyone for that matter) to endure the unnecessary pain of a tattoo. Plus, if you get tired of it, there’s nothing you can do about it! Well, like all children, they didn’t listen to Mom and both were very creative in their choice of tattoos. I just shook my head and said, “There’s no way you’d get me to go through unnecessary pain. You guys are nuts!” But, I still applied the A&D ointment on their new tattoos; cringing the whole time.

When Dave returned from the Marshall Islands, he already had a clear picture in his mind of what he wanted to add. It took 25 hours to complete his vision. He was so proud of the final product! Once it was finished, he said to me, I’m planning to have one more tattoo in honor of you. I was surprised to hear that he wanted a dandelion with the vines wrapping around his wrist like a bracelet.

You see, when Dave was a little boy, he was always so proud to bring me a bouquet of dandelions. So, needless to say, I am proud to have a dandelion tattoo on my arm in Dave’s honor.

I’m sure I won’t get tired of it.

Last year while Dave was getting his tattoo, I was planning to revise mine. We both had designed our family crests years ago and both had them tattooed in the middle of our backs. It is the Coat of Arms from all of our nationalities put together. Dave was helping me with a few ideas to incorporate the crest and it began to take shape. It wasn’t long after that he passed that I decided to keep the same basic idea, but create more of a memorial to him. I wanted it to tell his story so I’ll explain. It, of course, is the Utah backdrop. Although that’s where Dave died, my mother told me that once he had gotten to Utah he called her and said “I like what I’m seein”, so I know that it was his kind of place.

The symbols within the tattoo tell the story.

-The sun represents what ultimately took his life.

-The green bushes growing out of the rock represent the sage bushes that were all around him where he died.

-The waterfalls down either side represent the water he was denied.

-The river below the crest represents the finish line he fought so hard to cross.

-The drips that form where the two waterfalls meet represent the constant flow of tears that have continued to fall ever since by all who loved him.

The banner below the crest had been empty for years because we never knew what to put in it. I never thought it would be filled with his initials along with the dates of his birth and death.

I’m very happy with how my tattoo turned out and believe it does tell the story, but the story is not over yet. There is so much more that has to happen before there is any closure. So although I’m happy so far, there may be more revisions in the future to finish his story.

Thanks for caring

-Rob

A month or so before Dave died he and I talked about tattoos. (I think it was when I was applying A&D ointment to the new addition to his tattoo.) I told him tattoos were not my style and that I would never get a tattoo because there was nothing that I could think of that I would want permanently inked on my body. After being faced with this horrible nightmare that we have to live with everyday and knowing the love Dave had for tattoos there was no question in my mind that I would now be getting a tattoo in memory of him.

I chose a Celtic butterfly because it represents a new phase of life, a new beginning, a re-birth, and that is what my little brother is experiencing now. The shaded vines were added into the background of each wing because that is what Dave had added onto his final tattoo on his shoulders. I had the letters of his name added into the two bottom wings in honor of him. I was lucky enough to have the same person do my tattoo that did Dave’s final tattoo so that the shading was exact.

Just like when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, Dave is in a new phase of his life now. We know he is with us in spirit every day, and every time we see a butterfly we think of him and we know he is with us..

It’s not how many breaths that we take, but how many moments that take our breath away…

-Cori