The "why" behind the ink.

 "You love me. Real or not real?"

I went out with my sister tonight. It's her birthday so we thought we'd have a little girl's night out and do some fun stuff. I've been wanting another tattoo for a month or so now so we decided to get that done first. Then we grabbed dinner and saw The Lucky One. Cute movie! Zac Efron was hot and although they completely changed the entire story pretty much it was still good! But I wanted to take a few minutes to explain the meaning behind my tattoo. (For those of you who haven't read The Hunger Games trilogy you may not understand all the references and for those of you who haven't read all the books but plan to there may be some spoilers ahead!)

First of all it's a quote from the book Mockingjay which is the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy. I loved the books. Not just because it was a popular thing but the story impressed me a lot. It was well written but not just that, the character Katniss is everything I wish I was and hope to be. She's strong, she's a fighter, she knows what she wants and what she believes in, she loves hard and she is bright. The love story woven through the book is realistic to me - it's about the journey that love has to go through and endure, the tests it has to make it through for you to know without a shadow of a doubt that it's real.

I think in today's world each and every person wants to be loved. It's what we seek, it's what we long for in some form or another. Maybe it's the love of a parent, or the love of a significant other, or maybe it's just the love of a friend. But in some way we are all trying to find people to love us. To accept who we are, whose love is real. And I think that's one of the biggest questions we all ask - is the love that person has for me, or that I have for them, real? Love isn't perfect in the sense that there are never struggles or hardships or even times when you might even think you don't love each other. But in the end, if it's real, it will always be there.

Through out The Hunger Games trilogy Katniss and Peeta's love has to with stand an onslaught of hard ships, up's & down's but through it all they come back to their need for each other. As different as they may be they need each other to survive. And that's what love is truly all about. Completely each other. And I'm so happy that I've experienced that in my life because I know so many people are still looking for it.

At the end of the last book Peeta says to Katniss "You love me. Real or not real?" and she says "Real." I want everyone to know real love. And I know that sounds like a "general" kinda of statement but I mean it with all my heart. When I look at my husband and my daughter my heart nearly bursts with the love I feel for them and because I know their love for me is real. It isn't perfect, we have up's & down's like everyone but we always come back around to the love that holds us together. This tattoo is a reminder that I have experienced something some people may never get to. And for that I should be thankful each and every moment of each and every day.