InkSpired Magazine Issue No. 45 | Page 72

would have told me to get over it and stop crying,” she laughs. So while the bad days still happen, Lin did as her mother would have wanted. The Rita Langworthy Foundation, now coming up on close to a year old, is going strong. The foundation grants funds to not only underprivileged kids in terms of educational grants, but also to educators for books and supplies. The foundation also aids in supporting other direct service nonprofits that aid these children by means of clothing, food, education, shelter, and medical help. The foundation recently awarded six children with a one year scholarship to attend private school. The RLF will have its first large scale fundraiser, Butterflies & Blues in New York City on October 17th, at BB Kings. This inaugu ral debut will be an annual celebration. In the one year anniversary of her mother’s death, Lin still is coping with the loss of her mother and the fact that she won’t be celebrating her 71st birthday with her, or seeing the Rockettes at Christmas like her mother wanted, or be able to take her on the Alaskan cruise she always dreamed of. Lin explains that her mother wasn’t a materialistic person at all. There were only a few things she talked about for her retirement. One was the cruise and another, which still gets a chuckle out of Lin, was a purple Jaguar. One of the regrets Lin still holds onto is not taking her mother on an Alaskan cruise. Not letting the negative consume her, Lin did something else. The logo and color theme for the foundation is purple, which is symbolic of the Jaguar her mother always talked about. The butterflies on the logo are symbolic as well. The metamorphosis of her mother and her life’s work. Lin also found comfort in getting tattooed. More specifically, a purple butterfly close to her shoulder that directly represents her mother. The piece incorporates butterflies and orchids dancing, which represents the two of them. She is working on another memorial piece she’ll be beginning soon at Sacred Tattoo in NYC. Lin sees her ink as part of her and her life story, a powerful statement filled with love. Lin’s advice for readers when it comes to dealing with the curveballs life throws and starting over? “Fail gloriously.” “Every day you wake up, you get a second chance,” she continues. Lin’s loss of her mother was something she harnessed to create something beautiful out of tragedy. To learn more or donate to the Rita Langworthy Foundation, visit them at: www.RitaLangworthyFoundation.org And follow them on social media at: www.Facebook.com/RitaLangworthyFoundation Twitter: @RitaLFoundation Instagram: @RitaLangworthyFoundation 70 InkSpiredMagazine.com