L...is for Labels

Labels are like distinguishing marks given for things we see, taste, hear, touch and smell, and all to often labels are given to people.

For example, you might assign to me the labels of;  mom, wife, sister, friend, runner, writer and so on.  These would be distinguishing marks to describe all that I am and all that I do.  Do labels make a person, or does a person make the labels? What are your thoughts on this question?  Personally I believe that it is the person who creates the labels.  

When I was born I became a daughter, the first label attached to me.  I also became a sister to my older brother Johnny...the second label attached to me.

As we go through this journey of life and we become something, or accomplish a goal we get another label attached to us, and on and on it goes, until we are no more. At the core though we are Us and that is something that is ingrained within our very DNA, and no label can completely describe or distinguish us, as we truly are.

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when He is silent. *Written on a wall in a concentration camp*

© 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

L is for...Living and Loving My Life

Childhood…Growing up in the house I did was difficult to say the least. Children were expected to be seen and not heard, to look neat and tidy, and to behave at all times. My parents loved me; they were just unprepared and inexperienced at being in charge of wee ones. My brother and I are about a year and four months apart, me being the youngest. My brother was the typical big brother in that he liked to play tricks on me, like with the bees I wrote about here . All in all I had a good childhood, my parents loved me, they provided for me nicely, and I felt relatively safe.


Teen years…As a teenager I felt alone, and misunderstood. My father and I did not get along at all, and I did not make it easy on him. If a day went by and I was not getting lectured, my dad was probably on the road. He was a truck driver some of the time and a pastor at other times. We were members of mostly conservative Baptist Churches and when I say conservative, I do mean conservative. For example girls did not wear pants, or makeup, and men wore buttoned shirts with ties. I absolutely hated living with all the rules I felt were forced upon me. Most of the rules were unspoken but completely understood by me to be real. Like, don’t voice your opinion, and do as you’re told but not what you see being done. Living wasn’t enjoyable for me as a teenager would be putting it mildly.

Adult years…After I got married and started to settle down, life got a little easier. I learned to make my own decisions and started getting more into my relationship with God. Four children and 17 years later I am starting to get comfortable in my own skin and with my experiences. Having cancer changed me a lot. I now look at life as something to be enjoyed, and cherished, not just observed. It is enjoyable for me to just sit back and breathe in this life I am living and loving right now.


Head on over to tossing it out and check out some other blogs in this fantastic challenge. May God bless and keep you and may His face shine upon you today and beyond.