Tattoos were one of Cole’s favorite things, which really shouldn’t have surprised me considering his early affinity for drawing all over his body. To his great delight (and my chagrin), restrictions on the size of tattoos for sailors and the necessity for waivers were greatly reduced just as he was entering the Navy. A great portion of his newfound freedom and income were spent on this hobby, doing his darndest to support the families of local tattoo artists.
Sometimes he would text me a photo of a fresh tattoo I didn’t know he was getting, but most often he would share his ideas or sketches for the next one, excitedly talking about where he would put it and which artist he would use. One such time, he texted me a drawing of a fairly large tattoo he was planning on getting – a ship in an hourglass with a lighthouse on top and a strange eye in the middle. It wasn’t my favorite artwork ever, particularly as a permanent piece on my son’s body, but the only part I felt strongly enough to comment on was the scroll that said, NEVER ENOUGH. I responded with something like, “Buddy, that is such a negative thing to put on your body and look at every day.” And then I followed up with, “How about something like… IT IS WELL…?,’” giggling as I typed it because it seemed like such a mom thing to say. I could just picture him smiling and rolling his eyes as he worked on the lettering of his already-decided-upon statement.
I didn’t hear anything else about it until he sent a picture of the final tattoo with the following words emblazoned on his arm: ALL IS WELL. It felt like such a love note, he may as well have inked a giant red heart on his arm with MOM plastered across it. Even though I didn’t like the look of it as much as some of his other tattoos, it was unquestionably the most meaningful to me.
Despite Cole’s hearty encouragement, I have remained tattoo-less. After his passing, I considered getting a small one in honor of him, but think I’ve decided against it since it probably has little value to him on the other side of eternity. But after a long hike with John last week, as we sat on the beach watching the waves for hours, I realized that I do have a tattoo. It was engraved on my heart by the Lord with pain even greater than Cole’s countless hours at the mercy of the needle. It was drawn up with great artistry and executed with perfect mastery, and will remain with me even beyond this world. As I look upon my heart each day, I see with great joy the declaration that Cole chose for his body and I have chosen for my life: ALL IS WELL.
where waves grow sweet 
So good Kara! Love this ❤️
By: Josh Pfeiffer on September 7, 2018
at 7:52 am
Thank you Josh! Love you!
By: karanoel on September 7, 2018
at 9:40 pm
YES, IT SEEMS ALL IS WELL WITH YOU, BLESSING YOU AND SMILING DOWN ON YOU
By: JUNE GORDON a cousin on September 7, 2018
at 11:24 am
Thank you June! God’s goodness has seemed so much bigger than any pain so yes, all is well 🙂
By: karanoel on September 7, 2018
at 9:40 pm
Wow. Doggonit, you made me cry all over again. Beautiful, powerful post. All is well. I love you way beyond words.
On Fri, Sep 7, 2018 at 6:33 AM, where waves grow sweet wrote:
> karanoel posted: “Tattoos were one of Cole’s favorite things, which really > shouldn’t have surprised me considering his early affinity for drawing all > over his body. To his great delight (and my chagrin), restrictions on the > size of tattoos for sailors and the necessity for” >
By: Kenn Gulliksen on September 7, 2018
at 12:07 pm
Sorry to make you cry again! But thank you. Love you so much.
By: karanoel on September 7, 2018
at 9:39 pm
beautiful, Kara! I see gentle seas with a light fragrant breeze. With love…
By: Larry Myers on September 7, 2018
at 1:54 pm
Love it! And still feeling grateful for that amazing hug at the memorial service 🙂
By: karanoel on September 7, 2018
at 9:38 pm
How perfect this is! Because ALL IS WELL when we set our eyes on Him.
By: Tessy Tzoytzoyrakos on September 7, 2018
at 9:30 pm
Exactly! It is hitting me as a greater truth than ever before.
By: karanoel on September 7, 2018
at 9:36 pm
❤️🤗
By: Tara on September 11, 2018
at 9:51 pm
Kara, I hope to meet you one day. You are a brave, caring, thoughtful person. We expect to bury our parents, though it is very hard. We don’t expect to bury our children. That is beyond comprehension. We cannot imagine what you have gone through. We marvel at the grace of God in your ability to keep on keeping on–and even to write about it. You are blessing many people through your courage. Thank you for your affirmation of my blogs! God bless you abundantly as you continue to put one foot in front of the other! Love, Paul & Karen
By: Paul Anderson on October 4, 2018
at 5:04 am
Thank you so much Paul. I don’t know how anyone without Jesus walks this out. We are leaning so heavily upon Him and believe He is going to help us get all the way through. I get so much out of your blogs and truly enjoy reading them. Hope to meet you someday too!
By: karanoel on October 5, 2018
at 8:23 pm
[…] an anchor. Or maybe “It is well,” a phrase my sister suggested which has deep meaning and a personal reference that makes me smile. I know it won’t change anything, but there is something comforting about […]
By: It is well | where waves grow sweet on August 14, 2019
at 9:08 pm