Inspiration

Our three-year-old daughter, Jenna, was having trouble sleeping through the night, waking up because she was afraid. Each time as I re-tucked her into bed, I would remind her that Jesus was with her and he would keep her safe. The sleepless nights continued, with Jenna seeking comfort in our bedroom.

Finally, one night, I asked her if she had prayed for Jesus to take her fear away and help her fall asleep.

"Oh, yes," she assured me. "He told me to come and get you!"

I couldn't help overhearing a man on a nearby phone call.

"I know it's something you want," he said earnestly, "But I don't think tattoos are a good idea. And the same goes for body piercing. As long as you're living in my house, I think you should respect my wishes."

I was secretly cheering him on for his fatherly firmness.

Then came the 'coup de grace:'

"Besides, Mom, you're 75 years old! You don't need a tattoo!"

"This is our Father's world. This is a world of mystery, of beauty and pain and grace, of a layered story that is always larger than our own."

- Ann Voskamp

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these."

- George Washington Carver