More Ink

I'm going to continue where I left off yesterday, writing about one of the suggestions posted on my FaceBook.

Tattoos for Kelly.

Well, he's got to be a little bit older to get himself a tattoo.  But I plan to get a tattoo in his honor, something I haven't done for any of my other children.

If you read Part 1 of 3 of Kelly's birth story, you may recall that I almost bled to death from a miscarriage.  As I was recovering, my aunt sent me a bag of Dove dark chocolates.  I never knew they put little inspirational messages inside the wrappers of their chocolates.

I opened one and there were the words, "One's best success comes after one's greatest disappointments."

Those words spoke to me so clearly.  I was really beyond disappointment.  I was devastated.  And this little piece of chocolate gave me hope that I would find success if I just made it through.

I looked it up and found that the quote had altered from its original "Men's best successes come after their disappointments."  The source was Henry Ward Beecher, a major progressive leader at the time of the Civil War.  He was a feminist, abolitionist, and preacher, as well as the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Now, please don't go look him up and find out about that little adulterous scandal he was involved in.  That would tarnish the whole picture I just tried to paint in your head.

After Kelly was born with Down syndrome, I decided I wanted to get that saying made into a tattoo with a three leaf clover.  Three for Trisomy 21.  And the Irish clover for Kelly.  With the saying.  All in one.

So far, no artist has been able or willing to come up with a design incorporating the three elements that I want to put on my body.  I have hope, though.  Like finding a mate:  you just have to wait until the right one comes along.