Tattoos.

I have quite a few tattoos.  They’re invisible, of course. But they’re there, nevertheless. I can easily conjure them up at a moment’s notice. They represent friends I’ve known and loved for years and years. 

Sadly, but quite naturally, many of those people have died and others will surely follow.  But, those invisible, etherial tattoos, those unseeable imprints, remind me of our friendships, our relationships, our times together.  And they’re never more apparent than when a friend has died

The wise folk tell us to move on from our past and get on with the present.  Make new friends. Find new work. Create new experiences. And they’re right. We can do that.

But my “tattoos” have a slightly different take on the whole thing.  They remind me to honor my past.  To remember.  To reflect.  To smile, laugh and cry.  And those tattoos aren’t going anywhere any time soon. That “invisible ink” is here to stay.

Today, the tattoo I’m remembering, with much love and affection, is Julia Reichert.  Friend, filmmaker, change-maker. And brave. Such a brave, brave woman.  Gone, but never forgotten.  “Tatooed” forever in my heart.