Serenity from Anthony

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DIh4zMcqwT5W0T8Gvyeb2Xb1vjrZezsdc8MmDkMlxPF5AfjlVv_cyuOuIONN824jk8D-2e65twjvOEwgKZOvPmpp7XCK0lmm95zYzqphNEvIinGuMjoUvLCOZahsD8091s-emDnu4mc/s615/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9DIh4zMcqwT5W0T8Gvyeb2Xb1vjrZezsdc8MmDkMlxPF5AfjlVv_cyuOuIONN824jk8D-2e65twjvOEwgKZOvPmpp7XCK0lmm95zYzqphNEvIinGuMjoUvLCOZahsD8091s-emDnu4mc/s640/photo.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><br />I spotted Anthony's ink while biking along the Belt Parkway promenade at the end of May.<br /><br />Always a fan of word tattoos, I stopped him while he was jogging and he was kind enough to stop and allow me to snap the photo above.<br /><br />It was only after I got a chance to see it that I recognized the top verse as what is commonly called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer">Serenity Prayer</a>:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">God Grant me</div><div style="text-align: center;">the serenity to accept</div><div style="text-align: center;">the things I cannot change</div><div style="text-align: center;">courage to change</div><div style="text-align: center;">the things I can</div><div style="text-align: center;">and wisdom to</div><div style="text-align: center;">know the difference.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I asked why he chose the Serenity Prayer as a tattoo, he said, "I think it's a good way to look at life, every day, with a positive attitude."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am not as familiar with the passage below it</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Living one day at a time</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enjoying one moment at a time</div><div style="text-align: center;">Accepting hardships as</div><div style="text-align: center;">the pathway to peace</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It turns out that those four lines are the next in the sequence of the verse composed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhold_Niebuhr">Reinhold Niebuhr</a>, from which the Serenity Prayer was adopted.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He credited an artist named Omar at a shop on Christopher Street in Manhattan with these tattoos. It likely could have been <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/tattoo-heaven/146365271409">Tattoo Heaven</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks to Anthony for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7902775597758591" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b></div>

Serenity from Anthony

I spotted Anthony's ink while biking along the Belt Parkway promenade at the end of May. Always a fan of word tattoos, I stopped him whi...

Read more »

Mari's Prayer, with a Twist of Math

I met Mari in front of <a href="http://www.thegarden.com/">Madison Square Garden</a> on a sunny day in October. How could I not stop and ask her about this tattoo?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_Sp4gJzT9d4hggnNV-ST5RcW6KtnEQEC7EKTaRkWA2mI2ChNUFWDzvT8LLr5VykALFrk55W3csQnpY9oMJDKlpHd_jsrkfEj1mKwitNgHGSCKsl_WWi01Sx7G44OSwcFwbqroLlvTPg/s1600/Poem+Tattoo+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_Sp4gJzT9d4hggnNV-ST5RcW6KtnEQEC7EKTaRkWA2mI2ChNUFWDzvT8LLr5VykALFrk55W3csQnpY9oMJDKlpHd_jsrkfEj1mKwitNgHGSCKsl_WWi01Sx7G44OSwcFwbqroLlvTPg/s640/Poem+Tattoo+wm.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />Mari explained that this is an <a href="http://www.ananda.org/">Ananda</a> prayer, that her friends were meditating on it for a week.<br /><br />The text, which is attributed to<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramahansa_Yogananda">Sri Paramhansa Yogananda</a>, </span>reads:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVB7XjCtpUhMeebjgHI1d6As2e3qXBfKYAqYkDfDGk31vtHgqK2569JilJQEB33eruLYf09sJ-7ulB9Tb2POz6bszOPEbxbAgl40KDpWZkyWW2a6D2QUDDWX4-6K8HhMN-wCQIcMQZlpM/s1600/Poem+Top+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVB7XjCtpUhMeebjgHI1d6As2e3qXBfKYAqYkDfDGk31vtHgqK2569JilJQEB33eruLYf09sJ-7ulB9Tb2POz6bszOPEbxbAgl40KDpWZkyWW2a6D2QUDDWX4-6K8HhMN-wCQIcMQZlpM/s640/Poem+Top+wm.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><i>Make me thy butterfly of eternity.<br /><br />I burnt my past. I ignored the foreboding seed<span class="text_exposed_hide"></span><span class="text_exposed_show">s of sprouting destiny. I waded through the strewn ashes of past & future fears.<br /><br />I am the eternal present. I tore to shreds the cocoon of ignorance with the sharpness of my will.</span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span class="text_exposed_show">I am thy...butterfly of eternity, sweeping through immeasurable time. The beauty of my nature-wings I spread everywhere, to entertain everything. Suns & stardust are spread on my wings. Behold my beauty! Cut all the silken threads of thy shrouding folly: follow me in my flight to myself.</span></i></blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaixdNj7Ozpf1ANLMdyAhInJL9PQqirha_qsz_jsg-vP1FIdVaij4gAoBI3TF9p9_M20KxDDYu5OL_x6Odev-Y6Uazlh7j62tQ-GhRXLFitPKIUq8Rv8TmkadqCwrWa6bdC5aXuh7Dkuo/s1600/Poem+Bottom+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaixdNj7Ozpf1ANLMdyAhInJL9PQqirha_qsz_jsg-vP1FIdVaij4gAoBI3TF9p9_M20KxDDYu5OL_x6Odev-Y6Uazlh7j62tQ-GhRXLFitPKIUq8Rv8TmkadqCwrWa6bdC5aXuh7Dkuo/s640/Poem+Bottom+wm.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />The butterfly symbolizes transformation, a phase everyone goes through at one point or another in time.<br /><br />Also among her twenty-two tattoos is this formula at the top of her arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_QEYZSJkB1Eqmo3hrcFv7qBNGEq9PJYn-LHzzSnd0UdxBlgKbhabkF8TsWRNrXDmLsxf8l3cfuOEh9LEH-4Fcib2dJQf1zM1btqP3kCf-Rl2-ZghPaYyvYx5LQHsJzDBO6VAfXahlvM/s1600/fractals+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_QEYZSJkB1Eqmo3hrcFv7qBNGEq9PJYn-LHzzSnd0UdxBlgKbhabkF8TsWRNrXDmLsxf8l3cfuOEh9LEH-4Fcib2dJQf1zM1btqP3kCf-Rl2-ZghPaYyvYx5LQHsJzDBO6VAfXahlvM/s400/fractals+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYZ5OFHzeuje9zr3Xvfl3VYf1UleHRUYeXTpYS2HNaTkJv1I-TbPnubtxGOghuvKDjQ3YJ_Kn_CjXXXOoIBTIOKT35JdKVkD8IPO3glONKMCKXj53hxQZgLqGxehOc1XGLCWEyR9ChAg/s1600/square+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Mari explained she loves math and generalized that, with this equation, "you can generate anything in the universe". In theory, at least. Here, it gets a little hazy for me. Part of this tattoo contains "f(z) = z^2 + c" which is described as a <a href="http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/aburns/orbits/quadrati.htm">complex function</a>. Then there is the part that equates the square root of -1 to the value <i>i</i>. This is a formula for an imaginary number. I'm bowing out here, knowing there's no way I'll be able to explain this part of the tattoo adequately. Readers are welcome to try in the comments section, below.<br /><br /><br />Mari's work was inked by Kevin at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lansing-MI/The-Tattoo-Shop/273975515167?v=wall#%21/pages/Lansing-MI/The-Tattoo-Shop/273975515167?v=wall">The Tattoo Shop</a> in Lansing, Michigan.<br /><br />Thanks to Mari for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Mari's Prayer, with a Twist of Math

I met Mari in front of Madison Square Garden on a sunny day in October. How could I not stop and ask her about this tattoo? Mari explained ...

Read more »

Anthony's Dragon (and more!)

I spotted Anthony on the N train in Brooklyn and was happy to see him also switching for the local R train at 59th Street.<br /><br />As luck would have it, both of us were headed home to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Ridge,_Brooklyn">Bay Ridge</a>.<br /><br />Anthony has a bunch of tattoos, and I snapped this photo of the dragon on his upper right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qoz8awnJ0Y03-xj3GcspY5MRYs3llOSlEbjIw5DrtUEvFMUxYu2QzvShmmofpHZ4Jfq6h2u-GTROL3qMYnyIZ12GZ2GfuPZ9j_UgnSt3FN3LueSs_k-wTMEYrPNuA1MBLzlBzgBg/s1600/Anthony+dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6qoz8awnJ0Y03-xj3GcspY5MRYs3llOSlEbjIw5DrtUEvFMUxYu2QzvShmmofpHZ4Jfq6h2u-GTROL3qMYnyIZ12GZ2GfuPZ9j_UgnSt3FN3LueSs_k-wTMEYrPNuA1MBLzlBzgBg/s640/Anthony+dragon.jpg" width="362" /></a></div><br />It was inked by Joe at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/brooklyninktattoo">Brooklyn Ink</a>.<br /><br />He estimated that the work so far has been completed in about three two-hour sessions.<br /><br />Work from Joe and other artists at Brooklyn Ink has previously appeared quite frequently on Tattoosday (all posts tagged as such <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Brooklyn%20Ink">here</a>).<br /><br />Anthony later emailed me photos of these shots as well:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmfyRSagy_vASYb_-7GlDrn8eKi83ljmjGgnEfjcJnMpu5cuv02JAVYwgnR_VDI42j2RLAD5kFP0eBExq47KNgLDvvdSxEE-ekNZ4BNU-Aafu0KzVhIVSKaGnJNAEzRUO3xax5KAl/s1600/anthony+forgive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmfyRSagy_vASYb_-7GlDrn8eKi83ljmjGgnEfjcJnMpu5cuv02JAVYwgnR_VDI42j2RLAD5kFP0eBExq47KNgLDvvdSxEE-ekNZ4BNU-Aafu0KzVhIVSKaGnJNAEzRUO3xax5KAl/s400/anthony+forgive.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwndqBga2ljAZCyHTV96dSZT7TlELSiC2NnmSFyYejQ3YIpJYRns6BCQ6zL5xhEH1aYtmGNotVnEOh882S_2W_MHh7-ewHWkqD_7USWhdKhUrcYBTfF8a-jQqKPaKukPU08fED70BS/s1600/anthony+tribal+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwndqBga2ljAZCyHTV96dSZT7TlELSiC2NnmSFyYejQ3YIpJYRns6BCQ6zL5xhEH1aYtmGNotVnEOh882S_2W_MHh7-ewHWkqD_7USWhdKhUrcYBTfF8a-jQqKPaKukPU08fED70BS/s320/anthony+tribal+sun.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The praying hands holding the rosary, I recall him telling me, were tattooed at Distinction Ink in Brooklyn. The tattoo reads "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned".<br /><br />He did not tell me where he had this tribal sun done, but it's definitely an attention-grabbing piece and certainly worth a mention.<br /><br />Thanks to Anthony for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Anthony's Dragon (and more!)

I spotted Anthony on the N train in Brooklyn and was happy to see him also switching for the local R train at 59th Street. As luck would hav...

Read more »

Nine Little Foot Tattoos and a Prayer for Peace

It is embarrassing to admit, I don't remember the name of today's contributor.<br /><br />Normally, regular readers may know, I'm a bit more diligent about contributors to the site, but in this case, Z, as I will refer to her, gave me her card, which included her email address and website (she's an artist that works mostly in oils), and I subsequently put it somewhere safe. So safe, I forgot where.<br /><br />In other words, I lost it.<br /><br />But let's talk about how I met Z and came to know her tattoos.<br /><br />Fate spilled me out on the 36th Street platform in Brooklyn. An express train (N) came before the local, so I hopped on, with the intention of riding to 59th, one stop away, and then grabbing an R train.<br /><br />Standing on the N, I looked down and saw a tattooed foot. Not your normal tattooed foot, with a rosary (like <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/03/whole-lotta-rosary.html">this one</a>), or <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/nicoles-hibiscus-tattoo.html">flowers</a>, or whatnot, but a foot with tattooed marks on it. Just the right foot. The left foot was bare, although there were symbols circumnavigating the calf, just above the ankle.<br /><br />As luck would have it (Luck loves Tattoosday), Z exited the train at 59th Street and I started talking to her on the platform.<br /><br />We both caught the R and talked tattoos all the way to 95th Street. Upstairs, at street level, I snapped some photos.<br /><br />This is her foot:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9lwU5WTuDsW8C3c3aIo9WgpHb0VAea3tS4a0pG9Foqyk9gA3gY2PqTDwcBa2pj2Af6wwjGa71tvWdgzpIWzvGCMJNJ3rBT_HUg6kinBEXBg210RZTEyygU5v-8MBxIEAYsTkxN3xmfo/s1600-h/Ant+foot.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382741251523788258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9lwU5WTuDsW8C3c3aIo9WgpHb0VAea3tS4a0pG9Foqyk9gA3gY2PqTDwcBa2pj2Af6wwjGa71tvWdgzpIWzvGCMJNJ3rBT_HUg6kinBEXBg210RZTEyygU5v-8MBxIEAYsTkxN3xmfo/s400/Ant+foot.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />Up close, one can see that the marks are ants.<br /><br />Z grew up in New Orleans and always remembers the big, black ants that scurried about.<br /><br />One day, she was bored, and drew some ants on her foot with a <a href="http://pen.sharpie.com/">Sharpie</a>. She went several days with her foot be-speckled by these ants, and they grew on her. She wandered into <a href="http://www.eastrivertattoo.com/flash/shell.html">Cherry Bomb Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn, and had them permanently tattooed.<br /><br />There are nine ants in all.<br /><br />The following tattoo is above her left ankle:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQMhshAZ6d1Vy6w2PI3ceeWIFFl3_bxasxNLIyjBjbxxlar9dkqSJONvLXGXcYhtw5n54IqqM0dWVcyxoXD7R5xw6YPuyvFgGIQJlQEip7NjAQB0DHh1pzTL_ntpLyJRErsSQeo6_TR4/s1600-h/Tibetan+chant.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382741154556377426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQMhshAZ6d1Vy6w2PI3ceeWIFFl3_bxasxNLIyjBjbxxlar9dkqSJONvLXGXcYhtw5n54IqqM0dWVcyxoXD7R5xw6YPuyvFgGIQJlQEip7NjAQB0DHh1pzTL_ntpLyJRErsSQeo6_TR4/s400/Tibetan+chant.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 250px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />The Tibetan prayer is "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum">om mani padme hum</a>". She told me that this is the prayer for universal peace.<br /><br />Thanks to Z for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><b><u>UPDATE:</u></b> It took a while, but our paths crossed again, on July 2, 2010, I was hanging outside of the laundromat near home when I saw a woman with black spots on her foot crossing the street across the avenue from me. When I saw the ring of Tibetan around her left ankle, I knew it was the same person. I scurried across the street and re-introduced myself. The subject formerly known as "Z" is actually named Jeanette, and I was finally able to update this post, with her proper name attached.

Nine Little Foot Tattoos and a Prayer for Peace

It is embarrassing to admit, I don't remember the name of today's contributor. Normally, regular readers may know, I'm a bit mo...

Read more »

Tehila's Amazing Tattoos Rest Deep in Her Faith

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYaVbG8qM9vgDW5LxtL0x9LOukLGdgrzFnNGxLHFmAMPxkWYBx-tBxFaLey1bi8PeSUINkQ0z5-hawNjLdI54lEMsoEqe0F05H7x0JME_9orEFnEokN2UoVYJ42JnNqteivBC6HUVvCwk/s1600-h/hamsa+detailll.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313725071559025618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYaVbG8qM9vgDW5LxtL0x9LOukLGdgrzFnNGxLHFmAMPxkWYBx-tBxFaLey1bi8PeSUINkQ0z5-hawNjLdI54lEMsoEqe0F05H7x0JME_9orEFnEokN2UoVYJ42JnNqteivBC6HUVvCwk/s400/hamsa+detailll.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 311px;" /></a><br /><br />After my wife got her "13" tattoo (story <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/03/friday-13th-tattoosday-adventure.html">here</a>), we had some time to kill before our dinner reservations at 7:00 pm. So, we headed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea,_Manhattan">Chelsea</a>, then walked down 23rd Street to the <a href="http://www.housingworks.org/locations/detail/chelsea-thrift-shop/">Housing Works Thrift Shop</a>.<br /><br />It was there, while browsing, that I met Tehila, who was visiting from <a href="http://www.washington.org/">Washington, D.C.</a> It was this tattoo that jumped out at me:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceQu07X6ILIcz2swzU3dRb1t4UnMzq8afW28Wd0SpC8p-LRup7jQVixiys_SOLbR7glYHJZwANBiagkQaYDivc0lg_VQjHsq8rZLcR09cjPBF5b7P8W4hIZ2t_PmJdvylEddVx_mMJcRZ/s1600-h/Do+Justly+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313724007671885922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceQu07X6ILIcz2swzU3dRb1t4UnMzq8afW28Wd0SpC8p-LRup7jQVixiys_SOLbR7glYHJZwANBiagkQaYDivc0lg_VQjHsq8rZLcR09cjPBF5b7P8W4hIZ2t_PmJdvylEddVx_mMJcRZ/s400/Do+Justly+1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Quite an elaborate neck tattoo, which was in part designed by her mother, from her birth announcement. The quote, "Do justly, walk humbly, love mercy," is from the book of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Micah">Micah</a> (<a href="http://bible.cc/micah/6-8.htm">Chapter 6, Verse 8</a>) in the Old Testament.<br /><br />The complete passage from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorized_King_James_Version">King James Version</a> is<br /><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?</blockquote><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdLShpqW9TQMVk0US75hUaW9kcy1Evlk3A2T88wvfZHctmoIdGu5f0LRRWF_P7rXRWb93-97WGOZPyE4nOzAnwFRHDu2cdnaGxp-Q-2a6WAHYIcfTi9UozHpGnG-PPut_cClXLmppwXu8/s1600-h/Do+Justly+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313723844870458274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdLShpqW9TQMVk0US75hUaW9kcy1Evlk3A2T88wvfZHctmoIdGu5f0LRRWF_P7rXRWb93-97WGOZPyE4nOzAnwFRHDu2cdnaGxp-Q-2a6WAHYIcfTi9UozHpGnG-PPut_cClXLmppwXu8/s400/Do+Justly+2.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 177px;" /></a>Tehila, however, had another tattoo to show me. She took off her jacket and rolled up her right sleeve.<br /><br />On her inner forearm was this amazing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa"><span style="font-style: italic;">hamsa</span></a> tattoo:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhPL_ISXHx7s1HIMbNjHPKpHB7BGbiwZhTjfML8Q9_hdbDOs0VMW_zrV4i6UcGQQ-3Q59HIwZqq0Mdo_FFiGo4JvIu-wRldi48rRNzn4dctZubO36X_uWCm2gAPQYQNnI46KYXVSB6Zn5/s1600-h/hamsa1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313723761589137858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhPL_ISXHx7s1HIMbNjHPKpHB7BGbiwZhTjfML8Q9_hdbDOs0VMW_zrV4i6UcGQQ-3Q59HIwZqq0Mdo_FFiGo4JvIu-wRldi48rRNzn4dctZubO36X_uWCm2gAPQYQNnI46KYXVSB6Zn5/s400/hamsa1.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />Unfortunately, the photo doesn't do the piece justice, as the prayers, in Hebrew, circle the arm completely. One of the prayers is from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amidah"><span style="font-style: italic;">Amidah</span></a>. I generally shy away from taking pictures of pieces that wrap around the arms, for fear of not being able to capture the full spirit of the tattoo. But in this case, the work was so lovely, I couldn't resist.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzgqrla69upIKIr5Kr3qvERU8ZuB-qKY0Foj3e9Q-knqgSfFTZZcDfw0C1Go-KLU6erNHZXVd8od9NnQ3su-wsez-qPYNWajgPX7ix_lHq030rlnR5-S-tforXoWRr-XhRe-5rL8d6LL4/s1600-h/hamsa11.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313723680767610402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzgqrla69upIKIr5Kr3qvERU8ZuB-qKY0Foj3e9Q-knqgSfFTZZcDfw0C1Go-KLU6erNHZXVd8od9NnQ3su-wsez-qPYNWajgPX7ix_lHq030rlnR5-S-tforXoWRr-XhRe-5rL8d6LL4/s400/hamsa11.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />Tattoos with Hebrew writing have appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger.html">here</a>. I have featured a hamsa tattoo previously <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/10/alvins-hamsa-honors-his-grandfather.html">here</a>.<br /><br />The pieces are credited to Imaani K. Brown and Chris Menhah at <a href="http://www.inkwiz.biz/pnN.html">Pinz-N-Needlez</a> in D.C. Chris inked the Hamsah and Imaani is responsible for the neck piece and the Hebrew text the wraps around the forearm.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR1oSZQGaR7bXAvjgUkR89g6MnoxXL8qxflxmUQKvTve9wsam-7lAV6eHHT_nKHWe6I3zuI9PEGXRhj9fo1n3HghfGdJ6KIgtg3MyR4L81CUcIF46c0kHtMbwo7EaBvUHAsL54sxLlIm_/s1600-h/pinz.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313723097601102738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwR1oSZQGaR7bXAvjgUkR89g6MnoxXL8qxflxmUQKvTve9wsam-7lAV6eHHT_nKHWe6I3zuI9PEGXRhj9fo1n3HghfGdJ6KIgtg3MyR4L81CUcIF46c0kHtMbwo7EaBvUHAsL54sxLlIm_/s400/pinz.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />Wondrous thanks to Tehila for sharing these beautiful tattoos here on Tattoosday!

Tehila's Amazing Tattoos Rest Deep in Her Faith

After my wife got her "13" tattoo (story here ), we had some time to kill before our dinner reservations at 7:00 pm. So, we headed...

Read more »