Memories Forever Etched

Apr 4

Apr 4 Memories Forever Etched

The honeysuckle flower is permanently etched in my memories and now permanently on my arm as well. A reminder and an homage to so many beautiful things in my life. My childhood home – the last house on a dead end street - where their vines covered the fence between our property line and the “creek.” I have such deep rooted scent memories of walking out of my back door and being flooded with the beautiful scent of honeysuckles in bloom. I remember my grandma showing me how to pull the stamen out of the yellow flowers and suck the juice that remained on it. “Leave it for the honeybees though,” she would say. “They need it more than we do,” as she winked at me.

Just the smell alone brings a smile to my face and reminds me of a simpler time filled with love and nostalgia. If you know me, you know that sunflowers are my all-time favorite flower. A lesser known fact about me is that the scent of honeysuckle is my all-time favorite scent. I’m forever trying to recreate the memories that it evokes by buying candles, soaps, oils – whatever I can get my hands on. I wash my hands at night before bed with honeysuckle-scented soap to evoke peace and love in my heart.

On a final motorcycle ride through the spectacular North Carolina Mountains before we moved to Florida, the mountain air was filled with the scent of honeysuckles in bloom. I was euphoric about experiencing the timing of our ride and I thought “what a fitting parting gift these mountains are giving me. My favorite scent just filling my head and my heart before I won’t have it in its true form any longer.” What a beautiful ride it was and I committed each leg to memory with my favorite scent as the soundtrack to go along with it. This final ride remains in my memory and in my heart just as the North Carolina Mountains I called home do and I wanted to pay tribute to all of this love and contentment I feel in my heart that is evoked by the honeysuckle flower.

I found a tattoo artist who listened to my thoughts about this unassuming little vine flower and she drew me a tattoo sketch that struck me as being perfect down to the small hearts she added when I gave her this description.

Honeysuckle flowers represent true happiness, romantic love, good fortune, and sweetness towards one another. They can also be strong symbols of nostalgia, first loves, or old flames, so you can portray a number of messages to a past relationship, or gift them as a way to reminisce on old times. The honeysuckle represents perfect happiness and deep-seated affection. It can also symbolize everlasting love.

The honeysuckle is such an unassuming flower which is probably overlooked by many. For me, it’s etched in my heart and in my mind forever, along with what it represents. The tattoo I got to honor it and all it represents isn’t grand or even colorful. It, like the flower I love, is simple and little, yet mighty. Kind of like me.

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Donna Wetjen

Donna grew up on Long Island, the youngest child of two deaf parents. Her childhood was somewhat of a role reversal as she was the person who communicated with the outside world and made sure her parents were okay and not being taken advantage of. Donna believes that witnessing and experiencing the cruelty and discrimination toward people who are “different” shaped her into the compassionate person she is today.

Starting in banking at 16, Donna worked her way up the corporate ladder from Bank Teller to Director of Branch Operations for an East End bank. This position allowed her to feed one of her passions - writing - as she managed many of the Bank’s policies and procedures. Banking did not however, do much for Donna’s other great passions – rescuing animals and cooking.

Feeling lost and alone after her mother passed away from breast and ovarian cancer, on a whim and in the throes of grief, she and her husband sold their LI home and moved to a little house on 17 acres in the rural mountains of North Carolina. Here Donna was able to begin to feed her other passions, as they started a small hobby farm with mostly rescued animals of every variety including sheep, mini-horses, chickens, dogs, cats and a blind chicken named Winky. Shortly after moving there, Donna was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a grueling year-long regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, Donna is happily cancer-free, but forever changed. She now spends her time nourishing all of the things that make her soul happy. She has a small organic garden and has learned the fine art of canning. She spends a good deal of time making up, changing or combining recipes to test on her husband, with considerable success. Donna is currently in the process of writing 2 books based upon her experiences with both cancer and rescuing animals. Donna loves her volunteer work at the county shelter and rescue organization, and is proud of her lifetime of advocacy that began as a child in support of her parents and continues today through her rescue and volunteer work.