[Nevertheless] She Had No Fear [Advent 21]

Today was a bit of a strange day, even for my family. 

The second half of the day was normal enough - we met up with my sister and her two children and picked out a Christmas tree for my parents, delivered the tree to my parents, had dinner at their house, and decorated the tree. In between the eating and the decorating, my eleven year old, Alia, serenaded us on her ukulele, which turned into a sing-along. I love that she chose a song that my Dad used to sing to my sister and I when we were little, and that, I think, his mom used to sing to him.

The start to the day was normal as well - we got up, had breakfast, tidied up the house as you do in preparation for the arrival of guests. My husband took Alia to Bell Choir rehearsal at church. My children were playing on their computers, watching stuff, and doing normal teenage stuff.

I finished drawing up my tattoo and welcomed our friend Jake to our house, where he immediately began setting up to tattoo. I love tattoo house calls! Jake made stencils of Zephyr's tattoo and mine, then drew up and stenciled Haley's tattoo. Shortly after applying the stencils and starting on Zephyr's tattoo, Haley's girlfriend arrived.

Haley got her tattoo, and then it was time for Jake to do my first tattoo of the day, which went smoothly. 

All this is relatively normal in my household, but this is where normal transformed into a memory Alia and I will cherish forever - eleven-year-old Alia's first tattoos! 

She drew the tattoo and made the stencils,

applied the stencil,

and got to tattooing, under Jake's guidance. 

She tattooed her initials on my leg, next to the "superhero death bunny" she drew when she was six or seven years old (and Jake had tattooed on my leg shortly thereafter. Then she tattooed a peace sign on my hand.

What impressed Jake and I most was that Alia had no fear or nervousness. She approached tattooing with gusto and did an amazing job for a first (and second) tattoo by someone who had zero experience. She understood that whatever she did was permanently inked in my skin, yet she dove right in.

If we could all approach new experiences with the same excitement, joy, and confidence, how different our lives could be! I will see the peace sign on my hand every day and remember the eleven year old tattoo artist who did it, the meaning behind it (from her character in Cease Fire), and the normal Advent day that held precious moments of newness and joy, now permanently etched on my skin.

Now we wait to see if she asks for a tattoo machine for her twelfth birthday!