I’d been debating getting a tattoo for a few years but I could never set my mind on something I would want to look at forever.

In the middle of the night, a few months ago, I saw it. The perfect little image representing my grandmother and grandfather’s love for each other and memories I have with both of them.  I scribbled it down on a piece of paper and I asked my very talented friend Jade Rowe, to make it look prettier. She succeeded greatly in doing so.

They will forever be with me now.

My grandfather loved music. He played multiple instruments as a kid. Every time we visited them in Laval, they always had classical music playing in the main room.

I also played the cello for 7 years, and although I really didn’t enjoy it that much, I did enjoy the time I spent practicing with my grandfather. It broke my heart when he started getting so deaf that he couldn’t hear the music anymore…

As I wrote in my blog post entitled THE BEST grand papa, he created an incredible family with my Grand Maman, whom he loved for 69 years. He was a romantic, still picking out jewelry for my grandmother a few days before he passed away. The love they had for each other was surreal and the love they had for me was undeniably strong.

Another memory I share with my grandmother is watching her put her lipstick on when I was a young kid. I was sitting beside her at the kitchen table and admire the dedication and patience it took for her to put each layer on. I remember watching her in her little mirror, looking at all her tiny little lip and eyelid crayons.

More recently, when my grandfather passed away, I was allowed to stay in her room with her for a few nights. Naturally, the first thing she (still!) does the first thing in the morning, is sitting down with her little makeup bag and put on her makeup. I watched her do it, it complete admiration. She explained to me how she has a special pencil for each eyelid, since her reach isn’t as great on one of them. At 96 years old, my grandmother still puts on makeup every morning.

That’s sadly not something I inherited. I barely put mascara on.

Can you now see it? The music, the love and the lips?

It was important for me to get this tattoo before my grandmother leaves us.

I wanted to show her that she, and my grandfather

will forever be with me.

They were such important people in my life. The loss of my grandfather was so painful I thought I was forever broken. I am still broken, a year later.

I cannot imagine the pain I will feel once my grandmother leaves us. Just the thought brings streams of tears down my face.

 

Thank you to Bruno and Hermosa Ink Collective for your help and support. I felt so serene and at peace while I was getting it done. ❤️