I am a Rose of Sharon

The word yeyo is the name of a song that was a source of great comfort to my sister and I after our mom died. Erykah Badu wrote the song for her daughter and the word yeyo means mother in an African language.

The rose is a very strong symbol for me linking me w/ my mom.It was about the one yr anniversary of my mom’s death when I was at the Captivating Retreat and God gave me the new name “Rose” after the Rose of Sharon in the bible. My grandmother had named my mom after the same passage. He led me to Isaiah and what I found there was the meaning of rose, which means beauty. It was then that I felt God speaking to me and telling me that I was the beauty of my mother and I am part of the legacy she left behind. Up till that point in time, I found it very hard to grieve in a healthy way and I was very angry w/ God. I was torturing myself w/ horrible thoughts and all the ‘what ifs’ and regrets. From that moment on, there was a turning point in my thoughts and my heart toward God and grieving the loss of my mother.

I wanted to be able to see the symbol everyday of my life which is why I chose to put it on my wrist. I wanted to be able to look down at my wrist at any given moment to be reminded of the comfort and presence of my mother and the promise and new name God had given me, for I am the beauty (rose) of my mother (yeyo). Another reason why I felt so compelled to get the tattoo is b/c when you lose someone so close to you, something changes inside. You feel like a different person. I felt marked. I think I needed something to represent that externally.
The beginning and end section from the scrapbook I made for my sis about the life of our mother:

Our mother was named after the Rose of Sharon in the Bible. Sharon was a fertile area of land in the Old Testament renown for its beautiful trees and foliage. Our mother was like this land, providing us with a very fertile 'soil' full of wisdom, love, encouragement, and friendship, drawing the 3 of us closer and closer. From her soil, God brought forth beauty – He brought forth Roses. This is a story of Sharon's Roses – the legacy she left behind.
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You see, Sharon has left her fingerprints on each one of these Rose's hearts and these fingerprints will be passed on from generation to generation. Sharon Jean will never be forgotten, she will be carried on with each new Rose that is born. Someone as amazing and beautiful as Sharon cannot leave this world without leaving a legacy behind. One day, each one of these Roses will wither and fall back to the ground from which they came and be reunited with their homeland – their beloved Mother and Nana.