shalom...

simply it means peace. but this hebrew word has more layers...It means nothing missing, nothing broken, wholeness, perfect delight.

it is God's original design. but we know that His beautiful design has been broken, shalom has been severed. we struggle, we hurt, we fail, we ache.

when mike died, my shalom was severed. my sense of wholeness, beauty, hope stripped away. in the midst of my lamenting, i knew God was near, grieving that His design for peace was once again incomplete.

but shalom will only severed for a season. we will know perfect beauty, love, peace again. mike is living in perfect shalom now. how can i not find joy knowing that my love is whole again, no longer feeling pain, no longer struggling with his failures. and i believe i will experience this shalom too...not yet, but someday.

i wanted a tangible reminder of this season. to know that there will be perfect peace, that mike is in the midst of that. but that my shalom has been broken and i can lament, grieve, ache. and that God is with me in it.

so this past saturday, my best friends, kindred spirits, "sisters" kristin and kelly came with me to mark myself. here are some pictures of getting my tattoo of shalom.

before...

i was a little nervous...but aaron at mos eisley's did an amazing job!


after...it actually didn't hurt as much as i anticipated. but as i told someone the pain of getting a tattoo was part of the process.