Yes. That’s right.  Me. The girl who adamantly stated she would never get a tattoo. And now I’m sporting one on my left ankle.

It’s not my fault. Really it’s not. Some crazy person (lol) in our extended family decided it was the perfect gift for my older daughters and me. On Christmas Day he handed us a gift bag which contained temporary tattoos and announced that we had an appointment scheduled the following Friday. This gave us four days to decide what we wanted to get.

Um….what? Huh?  Did I hear you correctly?

I shot a quick glance at my husband. He was smiling, the kind of smile that’s teetering on the edge of laughter. Turns out, the crazy one had garnered his “permission” of sorts, and he was quite amused by this whole scene. So, he was certainly no help in getting me out of this one.

Ok, I could have said no. I could have simply said, no thank you, this just isn’t something  I can do. But I was swept along by the gift giver’s enthusiasm, his contagious smile and belief that this was the absolute perfect gift! It was quite comical.

I agreed to think about it.

Daughter #1 was not so amused. Daughter #2 had already picked one out. My caboose daughter was too young, but totally wanted to tag along and see this happen. She would have to see it to believe it. Her conservative mother get a tattoo? Nah.

On and off for the next 3 days I scrolled through pictures online. Maybe this. Save. Maybe that. Save. Maybe I’ll just design one myself. Put this together with that.

When appointment day came, I was still undecided. I had a simple one picked out as a backup. Something I knew I could live with.

After some discussion and deliberation over what I wanted to design, I landed on the backup plan. Simple. Clean. It speaks of who I am and whose I am.

Here it is. No drum roll needed.

And you know what? I love it. I’ve always assumed those who get tattoos will one day come to regret them.  But this one? Nope. There will be no regrets. It’s understated but powerful.

The gift. This Christmas we celebrated the birth of Jesus.

And this crazy special Christmas gift on my ankle reminds me of the true gift, the life that was given for me. Taken to the cross so I can be set free. A clean slate. A do-over when I fail.

This new year, I will strive to be more like Him. To remember daily the blessings I have and not the things I don’t. To cherish family and friendships with the love they bring while we are still here. To cast fear aside, because no matter what happens on this earth, it all ends the same: I can stand before my God and claim the cross of Christ as my entry to heaven. Where there is no more pain, no more sorrow,  and no more tears.

Forever with my Creator.

~Carolyn

“Life isn’t easy. Together we can make it better.”