My buddy Alison misplaced her dad a pair years in the past, and she or he is planning to get a shrimp cocktail tattoo to commemorate him (and his love of the dish). How candy is that? Curious, I requested Cup of Jo readers on Instagram to share their significant tattoos…
“Three years in the past, we held an epic memorial for our brother, Justin. The cherry blossoms are right here in D.C., the place Justin and I lived for a few years as adults. Second, there are cherry blossom timber at Zen Buddhist temples in Japan. Justin was a scholar of Buddhism. Lastly, as chances are you’ll know, cherry blossoms (traditionally in Japan) are supposed to signify the fleeting and ephemeral nature of life. It felt just like the universe put me in @simbalysm’s chair and care, so she might create this excellent piece of artwork to hold with me.” — Jeanine (above)
“The arrow tattoo on my ring finger is a reminder that when life will get powerful, one thing nice is normally across the nook. I consider the quote: ‘An arrow can solely be shot by pulling it backwards.’” — Stacey
“Once we adopted our son, his start mother and I went to get tattoos. We had been each glad to have a solution to honor our bond. She acquired his title tattooed on her hand, and I acquired a fiddlehead plant. There’s a bigger fiddlehead and a smaller one, identical to a mother and a child. Although I didn’t truly give start, motherhood felt like a rebirth, and our son was born within the spring.” — Heidi
“When my youngest was three, he was within the throes of most cancers therapy. He was bored and I had scrap paper, so he drew himself, holding his chemo pole. It marks a time, a approach he noticed himself and what he was going by way of. He’s now wholesome, enjoying soccer, and being a daily child, and that feels so fantastic.” — Logan
“The Maine state chicken is the black-capped chickadee. I’m not from Maine, however it’s the state I discovered dwelling in. My spouse and I acquired married right here, purchased a home right here, and constructed a neighborhood right here.“ — Stephanie
“Years in the past, I used to be having dim sum with my grandparents, and I used to be beginning to rush to get the bus. My Po Po (Grandma in Chinese language) insisted that I cease to take these floral social gathering favors from a marriage held on the restaurant the night time earlier than. She stated it was for good luck. Little did I do know, that was the final time I’d see my Po Po. She handed away months later. I acquired this tattoo to remind myself to decelerate and savor the moments with the individuals you’re keen on.” — Brittany
“She is my favourite individual to eat and drink with. She’s the type of buddy you possibly can earnestly ask, ‘Have you ever seen my face wanting bizarre currently?’ and she or he’ll offer you a thought-about reply. She’s the dose of youthful vitality I at all times want. She’s my SIS.” — Liz
“I designed this tattoo as a nonetheless lifetime of my household. It options my sons’ toy swords and tea set haphazardly mendacity round the home, alongside a messy household dinner. The boots and hat are a nod to my husband’s and my wedding ceremony tune with the lyrics ‘Your boots of Spanish leather-based and your hat knit out of yarn.’ Each time I look down, my coronary heart flutters on the glimpse of the life we constructed collectively.” — Hannah
“I acquired this tattoo — a ‘rising thoughts’ — on the finish of a giant 12 months in Germany. I had run (fled?) to household in Berlin after calling off my wedding ceremony. What was imagined to be an escapist 12 months of minimal work and maximal flirting turned out to be 2020 — the 12 months of the pandemic and severe remedy and reflection on my half. The tattoo jogs my memory that nothing is mounted and a shitty state of affairs can flip into probably the most magical.” — Esther
Do you’ve got a significant tattoo? We’d love to listen to…
P.S. Extra reader tattoos, and 8 readers share images of after they felt lovely.