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Description
I've been playing around with watercolors and tattoo ideas. I want my first tattoo to be a cardinal. In my family, cardinals represent my grandparents whom we all loved a lot. My grandfather was my best friend, for the first few years of my life and died of cancer when I was about 3 and a half. He was in his early 40s I think.

After his death, whenever I (or any of my other family members who were close to him) were to see a cardinal, I/we would smile and say "there goes Grandpa", or "Grandpa's here." He was one of the greatest people I ever got to know. He was known as a very hard worker, a comedian, and just an all around great guy. Everybody loved him. I used to play tea party with him, and he used to give me rides in the wheel barrow through his garden.

I remember the day he was rushed to the hospital in the ambulance. Even though I was young when it happened, I still remember what he was like and how that day went. I knew he was sick because my mom told me so. We were living with my grandparents at the time. Me, being a concerned little 3 year old, decided he needed some "medicinal tea" that would cure him of his illness. So I remember sitting by his bedside with my tiny plastic tea set. We were talking a little bit (although I guess he was just mumbling things due to his weakness). I had filled the tea pot with tap water and poured him some "tea" that would help him get better. I remember trying to hand him the tiny plastic tea cup as I said, "Here, Greempa, its time to drink your magic healing tea." But he wouldn't take it. He didn't even move. He wasn't mumbling anymore. Maybe he fell asleep? I tried saying it again. Still no response. Of course, I was 3 (still a child who didn't understand much) and I got frustrated that he wasn't taking my tea and that he wasn't talking to me. He wasn't snoring like he normally did when he slept. I whined (in a loud voice for my half-deaf mother to hear my problem) about how he wasn't taking his tea and he wasn't moving. My mom and grandma came bursting into the room all panicked. The next thing I remember is me standing outside with my mom and our country-side neighbors, watching the ambulance pull out of our long driveway. I remember asking my mom where they were taking my grandpa, and she told me that they were taking him to a better place. At that time my mom was pregnant with my brother. My two younger brothers never got to meet my wonderful grandpa Leo.

When my mother came back home from his funeral (I couldn't go because I was "too young at the time") she came to my room and she said that my grandpa talked to her at the funeral. She said that he told her that he missed having me and my two cousins running around in his garden helping him out and playing in the dirt. That was the first night we both ever cried together.

Now for my grandma. She passed away a few years ago. She took up smoking and such, she had bad habits... she also had diabetes... She always had to take a bunch of medication... yet she was so great to be around. She was so loving and selfless. She definitely impacted my life a whole lot. She inspired me to love myself and to also care for others.

Just before she passed away, she had gotten her foot run over by a wheelchair, which broke her foot and gave her a bone infection. at the time she also developed pneumonia and had had a few heart attacks. This all happened in the same time frame. Because of the bone infection, she had to have half of her foot amputated. Basically the top part of her foot where the toes were was removed. She was in the hospital for quite a while and was released a few weeks before Easter. She had to get used to hobbling around with a stubby foot and such, but instead of complaining or making a big deal out of it, she would laugh and joke about how she used to forget she didn't have toes on that foot and how she would find herself sometimes rolling onto the front of her foot where her toes USED to be, and she would fall over. We got to visit her at her apartment just before Easter, and my god was she ever happy to see me and my brothers. I'll tell you, that woman got up at about 5 or 6am to prepare a giant brunch for our family to gobble up at about 10am. She made crepes (which are like my fave food ever), and she cooked hashbrowns and bacon and sausages... It was so awesome. She seemed so happy that day. We all laughed and chatted and whatnot. It was absolutely great.

Now, I was in highschool at the time (I was in grade 11 I think about 2 years ago), so I was pretty busy with school projects, homework, yada yada. I didn't get a lot of time to go visit her.

A few weeks after that day, on a friday when I got back from school... My dad told me that my grandma had one last heart attack that just took her. I lost my cool. I cried for hours... I cried almost the whole weekend. As soon as my dad told me I bolted out of the house screaming and crying. I decided to go to the park down the street to calm myself down a bit. All I could think about was how she always said, " You guys are always welcome to come over for a sleepover or for a visit! We can make popcorn, eat corn puffs, and all sit on the couch and watch CATS the musical just like when you were younger!". Even now I still regret not taking the time to go out and visit her. That event led me to truly see how unpredictable life can be. Now, I never leave the house without saying, "Bye! I love you!". I HAVE to say "I love you" to all the people I truly care about before we leave each other's presence. I just want to make sure that they all know that I really do love and care about them. I don't know what I would do without them.

My grandparents have inspired me to set a goal for my life. My goal is to be the best person possible. I don't want to pass away and not have anyone care to honor my life. I want to die feeling accomplished. I want people to know that I did my best, and that I did have a big heart.

Now that my grandparents have both passed away, my family now says "The two cardinals can finally be together forever." And anytime we see one or two cardinals flying around, we smile and say, "Those lovebirds are coming to check up on us."

We see them as a symbol of true love, and we see them as our family guardians.

R.I.P. Leo-Paul Labelle and Mary-Lou Gauvreau.

We love and miss you so much. xoxo

...

Oh god I made myself cry

Description
I've been playing around with watercolors and tattoo ideas. I want my first tattoo to be a cardinal. In my family, cardinals represent my grandparents whom we all loved a lot. My grandfather was my best friend, for the first few years of my life and died of cancer when I was about 3 and a half. He was in his early 40s I think.

After his death, whenever I (or any of my other family members who were close to him) were to see a cardinal, I/we would smile and say "there goes Grandpa", or "Grandpa's here." He was one of the greatest people I ever got to know. He was known as a very hard worker, a comedian, and just an all around great guy. Everybody loved him. I used to play tea party with him, and he used to give me rides in the wheel barrow through his garden.

I remember the day he was rushed to the hospital in the ambulance. Even though I was young when it happened, I still remember what he was like and how that day went. I knew he was sick because my mom told me so. We were living with my grandparents at the time. Me, being a concerned little 3 year old, decided he needed some "medicinal tea" that would cure him of his illness. So I remember sitting by his bedside with my tiny plastic tea set. We were talking a little bit (although I guess he was just mumbling things due to his weakness). I had filled the tea pot with tap water and poured him some "tea" that would help him get better. I remember trying to hand him the tiny plastic tea cup as I said, "Here, Greempa, its time to drink your magic healing tea." But he wouldn't take it. He didn't even move. He wasn't mumbling anymore. Maybe he fell asleep? I tried saying it again. Still no response. Of course, I was 3 (still a child who didn't understand much) and I got frustrated that he wasn't taking my tea and that he wasn't talking to me. He wasn't snoring like he normally did when he slept. I whined (in a loud voice for my half-deaf mother to hear my problem) about how he wasn't taking his tea and he wasn't moving. My mom and grandma came bursting into the room all panicked. The next thing I remember is me standing outside with my mom and our country-side neighbors, watching the ambulance pull out of our long driveway. I remember asking my mom where they were taking my grandpa, and she told me that they were taking him to a better place. At that time my mom was pregnant with my brother. My two younger brothers never got to meet my wonderful grandpa Leo.

When my mother came back home from his funeral (I couldn't go because I was "too young at the time") she came to my room and she said that my grandpa talked to her at the funeral. She said that he told her that he missed having me and my two cousins running around in his garden helping him out and playing in the dirt. That was the first night we both ever cried together.

Now for my grandma. She passed away a few years ago. She took up smoking and such, she had bad habits... she also had diabetes... She always had to take a bunch of medication... yet she was so great to be around. She was so loving and selfless. She definitely impacted my life a whole lot. She inspired me to love myself and to also care for others.

Just before she passed away, she had gotten her foot run over by a wheelchair, which broke her foot and gave her a bone infection. at the time she also developed pneumonia and had had a few heart attacks. This all happened in the same time frame. Because of the bone infection, she had to have half of her foot amputated. Basically the top part of her foot where the toes were was removed. She was in the hospital for quite a while and was released a few weeks before Easter. She had to get used to hobbling around with a stubby foot and such, but instead of complaining or making a big deal out of it, she would laugh and joke about how she used to forget she didn't have toes on that foot and how she would find herself sometimes rolling onto the front of her foot where her toes USED to be, and she would fall over. We got to visit her at her apartment just before Easter, and my god was she ever happy to see me and my brothers. I'll tell you, that woman got up at about 5 or 6am to prepare a giant brunch for our family to gobble up at about 10am. She made crepes (which are like my fave food ever), and she cooked hashbrowns and bacon and sausages... It was so awesome. She seemed so happy that day. We all laughed and chatted and whatnot. It was absolutely great.

Now, I was in highschool at the time (I was in grade 11 I think about 2 years ago), so I was pretty busy with school projects, homework, yada yada. I didn't get a lot of time to go visit her.

A few weeks after that day, on a friday when I got back from school... My dad told me that my grandma had one last heart attack that just took her. I lost my cool. I cried for hours... I cried almost the whole weekend. As soon as my dad told me I bolted out of the house screaming and crying. I decided to go to the park down the street to calm myself down a bit. All I could think about was how she always said, " You guys are always welcome to come over for a sleepover or for a visit! We can make popcorn, eat corn puffs, and all sit on the couch and watch CATS the musical just like when you were younger!". Even now I still regret not taking the time to go out and visit her. That event led me to truly see how unpredictable life can be. Now, I never leave the house without saying, "Bye! I love you!". I HAVE to say "I love you" to all the people I truly care about before we leave each other's presence. I just want to make sure that they all know that I really do love and care about them. I don't know what I would do without them.

My grandparents have inspired me to set a goal for my life. My goal is to be the best person possible. I don't want to pass away and not have anyone care to honor my life. I want to die feeling accomplished. I want people to know that I did my best, and that I did have a big heart.

Now that my grandparents have both passed away, my family now says "The two cardinals can finally be together forever." And anytime we see one or two cardinals flying around, we smile and say, "Those lovebirds are coming to check up on us."

We see them as a symbol of true love, and we see them as our family guardians.

R.I.P. Leo-Paul Labelle and Mary-Lou Gauvreau.

We love and miss you so much. xoxo

...

Oh god I made myself cry