Vegas Rob Bob Bobby

Guestbook

From Stan From Deanna

Hi Bobby,

Here we are again, the short time between your birthday and the anniversary of your death. Between the happiness of remembering your time here with us, and the sadness of remembering that you had to leave us. But the happiness is far stronger, even though we miss you greatly.

Being "tattoo people" (like you were also), Deanna and I have often thought of getting a new tattoo in your memory. But we knew that we really only wanted to symbolize the memorial... using images that were meaningful to us, but that also were meaningful to you. Of course, that strongly meant one driving theme: Flames! And for me, that also meant incorporating the Superman shield, which honors both you and my Dad (a "man of steel" for over 50 years). I like what we came up with, and I think that you would like them too... though I can still hear you laughing at my Lord Of The Rings obsession!

Be good Bobby! I love you!
Dad

P.S.
It may not be obvious in the picture, but the tattoo is on my upper left chest, closest to my heart. After thinking long and hard about what kind of tattoo I wanted as a memorial to my stepson, I decided on an oriental type design incorporating lotus flowers and flames. When Rob died, I had just begun to read a book about Buddhism (Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das) and that book helped me to deal with his death. The lotus flower is deeply symbolic in Buddhism.

The lotus (Sanskrit and Tibetan padma) is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols and one of the most poignant representations of Buddhist teaching. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.

My tattoo also has flames above the flowers. These directly represent Rob and his love of flames and the color orange. Rob himself had a tattoo on his forearm of his nickname "Vegas" engulfed in flames, not to mention the flames he painted on his car and on the wall of his apartment. Flames, fires and burning have often been used in religious rites and symbolism, as the smoke of the fire wafts towards the heavens it was thought to bear the wishes and prayers of the faithful.

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From Stan	From Deanna
Hi Bobby, Here we are again, the short time between your birthday and the anniversary of your death. Between the happiness of remembering your time here with us, and the sadness of remembering that you had to leave us. But the happiness is far stronger, even though we miss you greatly. Being "tattoo people" (like you were also), Deanna and I have often thought of getting a new tattoo in your memory. But we knew that we really only wanted to symbolize the memorial... using images that were meaningful to us, but that also were meaningful to you. Of course, that strongly meant one driving theme: *Flames!* And for me, that also meant incorporating the Superman shield, which honors both you and my Dad (a "man of steel" for over 50 years). I like what we came up with, and I think that you would like them too... though I can still hear you laughing at my Lord Of The Rings obsession! Be good Bobby! I love you! Dad P.S. It may not be obvious in the picture, but the tattoo is on my upper left chest, closest to my heart.	After thinking long and hard about what kind of tattoo I wanted as a memorial to my stepson, I decided on an oriental type design incorporating lotus flowers and flames. When Rob died, I had just begun to read a book about Buddhism (Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das) and that book helped me to deal with his death. The lotus flower is deeply symbolic in Buddhism. The lotus (Sanskrit and Tibetan padma) is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols and one of the most poignant representations of Buddhist teaching. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies pristinely above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. My tattoo also has flames above the flowers. These directly represent Rob and his love of flames and the color orange. Rob himself had a tattoo on his forearm of his nickname "Vegas" engulfed in flames, not to mention the flames he painted on his car and on the wall of his apartment. Flames, fires and burning have often been used in religious rites and symbolism, as the smoke of the fire wafts towards the heavens it was thought to bear the wishes and prayers of the faithful.
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