Never Say Never

 

It was my turn. I climbed up on the medical looking chair. I took off my shoe, rolled up my pant leg and stuck my left foot out."What am I doing?"  If you would have bet me a million dollars a few years ago that I would do this...you would be a millionaire now. This is something I said I would NEVER do. Never say never.

A couple of years ago my daughter asked me to do something very special with her. Something that would give us a bond like no other. When your teenage daughter actually wants to do something with you, how do you say no. At the time, I told her I would think about it. I told her if it was meaningful to both of us, I would consider it. 

In her mind, she knew that meant on her 18th birthday we would be getting matching tattoos.  We would talk about it a lot, but it always seemed so far off. Then 2012 came, the year she would turn 18. She would remind me that it was only a couple of months until we would get our tattoo. 

We found a design that we both loved. It was meaningful to us both for a couple of reasons. It referenced Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is a big part of our lives. It is something as parents we have worked at really instilling in our children. Our faith in Christ is the center of our lives. The "ones" have significance to us too. We have always seemed to randomly look at the clock at 1:11 or 11:11 and look at each other and smile. We had read years ago that the "ones" meant angels were with you. This was definitely what we wanted.

The design was picked and the date was set...but would I be able to go through with it? As I sat there on the chair...after Mandy had already had her artwork placed so delicately on her foot...I thought "what a special time." My daughter wants me to share something that is permanent. She wants a bond with me, something that only her and I can treasure. Of course I can do it.

I was scared, I thought for sure I would cry. The artist was great, she told me to breath and relax. At that time I realized I had given birth to the beautiful daughter that sat beside me. Childbirth was pain...but a pain that brought great joy and a treasure that I have had in my life for the last 18 years. I could handle this brief pain to share a bond with my child. I could stand this pain to do something she really wanted to share with me. 

As it turned out, it wasn't that bad at all. It hurt, but it was worth every minute. Eighteen years after God gave me the gift of a baby girl, I sat there with her and held her hand and we both experienced something new together. I learned then and there...Never say never.