It was shortly thereafter that John went and got a tattoo. If memory serves correctly, it was when one of his best friends, Keith, came to visit. Although the summer time, the recollection is of JW coming back home with a long sleeved shirt, somewhat trepidatious about letting his Dad see the tattoo. A photo from Keith's visit is below -- it must have been JW's 18th birthday.
John's tattoo was of the biohazard symbol. It was from the hardcore punk/heavy metal band named Biohazard and the symbol can be seen below.
John's tattoo can be clearly seen in the very same picture which eventually became his prayer card. It is the picture taken of John along the Inca Trail in the middle of a three day hike over two 13,000 ft. peaks on the way to Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes. It was chosen for his prayer card because the picture captures the pride and sense of accomplishment John had, both for the successful hike as well as for living a life well-lived.
Well, after almost seven years of thinking about it, and with the encouragement of John's little sis, John's Dad finally took the plunge and got his own biohazard tattoo. Same tattoo, same position on the arm.
Not to be outdone, John's sis also got her own tattoo. It's a four leaf clover with JW's initials in the middle.
Not that anything is required to remember -- but the tattoo is a fitting remembrance that brings a faint smile to my face many times a day -- it is so John!
2 comments:
That is awesome! Yes, the parents were gone and we were 18. We went to the tattoo shop to specifically get the biohazard tats. I was nervous but John stepped up and went first. We both survived. I remember going to the store with him and against tattoo artist advice, we took our bandages off so we show everyone how badass we were. Mine swelled about an inch from too much sun. He was soooo scared knowing that you were coming back so we wore the long sleeves. I just wanted to fly home before you found out and we both got an earful. Everytime I look at mine I remember that day and I think of my best bud. Way to go, dad! John is smiling down on you and saying, "no friggin' way!" I love it
Love the picture of the tattoo in your office! It was an amazing experience to get a tat in remembrance of John alongside my dad - and a pretty cool one too. I absolutely love my tattoo and that I remember every time I look at my wrist.
Post a Comment