They were her protection, she said.
Her fingers gingerly brushed the dragons perched on her shoulder blades.
She liked to think that they watched over her, kept her from becoming an alcoholic like her mother.
Tattoos were her addiction.
Her safety net from addiction.
Her method for coping.
Bananas contain proteins which are also in latex.
Someone with a latex allergy, who is exposed to an allergen after consuming a banana, could go into anaphylactic shock.
The Tattoo Lady’s body was already coping with the latex in her system when she was exposed to an allergen.
It pushed her body into protective mode.
Anaphylactic shock was her body’s method of coping.
The teaching moment was over.
We left the exam room.
Yet, I knew that the moment was not over for the Tattoo Lady.
It was her life.
Coping.
Surviving.
Sure, her life must be like any other with its ups and downs, but ultimately what was she holding on to?
Without the love of a Savior, how else should she live?
Tattoos would be a creative, legit coping mechanism in a world devoid of truth.
It kills me.
There is truth, a simple loving truth.
One man did not cope.
He gave up the fight for His survival to fight for ours.
Now we can be free from our inability to live up to a perfect standard of living.
We can give up the crap in our past because Jesus endured the worst of it all.
The Tattoo Lady is a short history lesson away from understanding the truth.
God, give me the courage to speak.
