"Think not only upon their passing, but remember the glory of their spirit." -United States Memorial, Normandy, France.

Today I want to feature one of my own tattoos that I got earlier this year.

Done By Adrian Aguirre at Vince's Tattoo Shop in Miami, FL

I got this tattoo this past May 2010 and it was originally done in memory of my father. A sparrow is portrayed because according to Answers.com in Ancient Egyptian times, it is believed that the sparrow (also called a swallow) carried the souls of the dead. A rose because as beautiful as they are, they have their imperfection (thorns), and the quote "Remember the glory of their spirit." The quote is actually the second half of a longer quote that I saw in Normandy, France when I went to United States Memorial Site for those who lost their lives in World War II. The symbol you see on the bottom right of the tattoo was actually there before the entire piece was done and is a "Fleur-de-Lys," a French symbol. The symbol being there is pure coincidence.

Anyways, this piece was done for my father. He was a very genuine and charismatic soul and that is why I feel the quote suits him very well. I believe he would have preferred we 'remember the glory of his spirit' than to sulk in his passing. I did not see him often because my parents were divorced and I grew up with my mom, but I did speak to him often. He did not live in the states but always made an effort to try and see me. He was an amazing individual but like a rose, had his 'thorns'. I never held some of his characteristics against him because we are all human beings and not one of us is perfect. To this day I miss him and now I always have something to remember him by. Although it was originally done in his memory, I send the message out to everyone, that you should always remember the glory of one's spirit and know that they will always be by you.