Tattoo Story - Jaclyn: Daddy
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.
My father committed suicide in 1992, when I was 12. I was very close to him, and losing him so suddenly and tragically was a huge blow to my 12 year old mind. It took me years to be even able to talk about it or mention him without tearing up or getting excessively defensive.
Every August (the anniversary month of his death) I pretty much go mental…lose control of my emotions. August 2004 marked 12yrs with him, 12yrs without him, and I pretty much had a nervous breakdown. After I recovered from such a set back of healing progression, I decided that I would pay tribute to him the following year with a permanent reminder of his love and my love for him.
August 2005 came around and I realised I just couldn’t do it quite yet…it had to be the right time, not just because it marked a date, but rather because it marked a time in my life when I felt more healed. January 2006 I decided I was ready - to start a new year with a new outlook on life.
I had the tattoo placed on my back to remind myself that the past is behind me. That his love is still with me, but I can put the pain behind me forever and just remember the love and good times. It is centered on my back because he was and always will be the center of my heart, and it is at the top because I want to be able to touch it whenever I feel sad and somehow feel a connection to my daddy.
I am planning an addition to the tattoo this fall. Custom work being designed by Gene at Adrenaline (New Jersey, but he guests in Vancouver). It’s going to become a larger piece, the heart being the center of it, and more like a coat of arms style piece, incorporating aspects of my family ancestry/heritage plus images that I hold near and dear to my heart…
-Jaclyn (Jaclyn’s Aztec Tattoo)
Design: JaclynTattoo work/colour/shading: Gene at Adrenaline (Vancouver)
Loading ...
May 29th, 2006 at 3:44 am
My goodness what a touching story. A lovely tattoo as well.
June 6th, 2006 at 8:22 am
that is a beautiful story. i lost my father in 1996 to cancer after only knowing he had it for 33 days.I understand the month he died as being tough, but this year it was a bit better, just had new grandchild born then.and knowing that he is always with me and watching over me. the tat i want to get done is also in honor of him, it will be a butterly in the middle of my back with his last name and above on the right side in a ribbon the year he was born and to the bottom left the year he died. then I will have him always watching my back as he did in life.
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:02 pm
I stumbled across this website and saw your tattoo after browsing it a bit. Your story is very similar to mine; my father committed suicide when I was 12 years old as well. We were very close. That’s 7 years ago now, but it still feels like it happened yesterday. I will never forget him and I love the way you honored him.
August 2nd, 2006 at 10:04 pm
..sorry, that last part was supposed to be “I will never forget him and I love the way you honored your father.”