~my lovely little lily~

Only bad people get tattoos.

Like people in gangs and the ones that don't go to church.

At least that's what I would have said about 15 years ago.

Funny how our opinions change as we get older....

 

I was in high school when my desire to get a tattoo began.

I would daydream about how unique (more like weird) I was as I wrote song lyrics on my wrist and across my foot. I drew flowers on vines around my ankle, or little stars on my hand..... knowing that I'd never actually find the courage to make it permanent.

 

During this time I also was developing my very opinionated mindset,

 and my oh-so-judgmental perceptions of others
 (what a snotty little teenager I was!)

I rolled my eyes as I saw others getting pointless tattoos "just because" with no meaning behind it.

I thought, if were to ever get a tattoo I would make sure

it was something with a greater, grander meaning to it that would spark conversation about how "deep" and "mysterious" of a person I am...

 

HA!

 

...as if lyrics stolen from a song that really had nothing to do with my life could somehow summed up how "deep" I am.

 

Once I got to college, I realized that my desire

 to show that there was a "deeper" side to me was in fact true.

This is when my faith life and my relationship with Christ truly began to blossom.

 

It turns out, I DO have a greater, grander side to me....My soul! My spirituality! 

My connection to a whole other world through prayer and the Eucharist!  

 

My decision to get a tattoo was a twisted way of somehow trying to "wear" my soul on my sleeve.

I wanted to show the world all that I stood for.

I wanted it to be permanent.

 

Growing up I went to a parish called the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ashkum, IL. Every Sunday I would notice the giant stained glass window of our Blessed Mother behind the altar, and to the bottom right corner, this funny little symbol that I never really knew the meaning of.

But I did know that this symbol is EVERYWHERE in Catholic churches.

 

The fleur de lis...

 

...also known as (in French), the flower lily!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose to get this as a tattoo because I fell in love with all that it stood for!

 

The lily is a symbol of PURITY.

Oftentimes you will find depictions of the saints holding a lily,

 like St. Joseph, Mary's most CHASTE spouse!

 

The three petals of the design reflect the HOLY TRINITY,

 with the band on the bottom symbolizing MARY.

 The tradition says that without Mary you can not understand the

Trinity since it was she who bore The Son.

 

The fleur de lis also has a history of being seen on

"knights in shining armor",

 who gallantly rode their horses with shield in arm and sword in sheath, ready to defend the lives of the innocent who cannot defend themselves....

 

Sound familiar?.....WHAT ABOUT THE UNBORN?!?

 

The fleur de lis is a symbol of being PRO-LIFE.

 

What more do I have to live for other than for the Trinity, for Momma Mary,

 and for defending God's innocent babies?!?

 

I guess this makes me the girl with the lily tattoo...

 

 

 

Shout out to thelilyfield and her creative mind

for helping me come up with my blog name!