Unexpected Memorable ” Labels”

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Becky Dingle

Dear Reader:

I have a few precious hours of alone time today and part of me just wants to sleep!

So I will throw some random thoughts today out in the universe. My brother Ben worked with mentally challenged children in the school system his whole career. He always preached about the error of labeling a mentally challenged child with such negativity that the label stuck forever.

One year he even had tomato soup cans outside his office to give to parents of mentally challenged children when they worked together to provide hope not labels.

And now ironically it is Ben who will soon be given a label that will determine where he will be placed for the best surroundings or as the Veterans Administration calls it-LOC-Level of Care.

And for all of you who have walked this path with a loved one-it ” ain’t” easy. Forms, forms, and more forms-every finding requires another finding and so on and so on.

I went down this same path with mother. I dreaded the day when she didn’t know my name or relationship. And it came… but not before another ” label” replaced it!

As I would enter the gathering room where every patient sat in a wheelchair staring at the entrance door… mom’s cohorts would shout ” There she is” and excitedly look at mother. Then mother would call out smiling ” There you are” and wiggle her fingers at me.

You know what? I remained “There you are” until mom died. You know what? That was just fine-I knew in my heart that I was the one Mom had been waiting for and that was enough!

So until tomorrow… start practicing building up your EQ -Emotional Quotient because in the end it is all that matters!

” Today is my favorite day” Winnie the Pooh

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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10 Responses to Unexpected Memorable ” Labels”

  1. Patty Knight says:
    July 30, 2021 at 7:17 am

    Love you, Becky. Praying for you and your family🙏

    Reply
    • Becky Dingle says:
      August 15, 2021 at 10:42 am

      So sorry I missed your response Patty…but so thankful I found it when another reader responded yesterday back to this post a few weeks back. Miss seeing you…you certainly understand my dilemma with all you went through with your sister….family is complicated but also filled with memories that we can salvage from the past to help bring patience and understanding to the present.

      Reply
  2. Rachel Edwards says:
    July 30, 2021 at 8:50 am

    Becky…love and prayers for you and Ben…hope that God will lift and carry you through this tine…

    Reply
  3. Jo Dufford says:
    July 30, 2021 at 10:42 am

    Praying for comfort and strength for Ben, you and family. Keep holding God’s Hand. He has still got all of you. Sending an abundance of love to you. Jo

    Reply
  4. Rujuta says:
    August 15, 2021 at 9:53 am

    Beautiful post and beautiful flowers!! I’m back on WordPress after long and it’s so good to read your posts! 🙂

    Reply
    • Becky Dingle says:
      August 15, 2021 at 10:44 am

      Oh my goodness Rujuta so glad you are back on WordPress and hearing from you….you have always been so encouraging and kind…you don’t know how much happiness your responses bring. Welcome home!

      Reply
      • Rujuta says:
        August 16, 2021 at 3:45 am

        Thank you so much! 🙂 Your posts elicit so much of positivity.. It’s always nice to read through those!
        Please do check out my new posts too if you get some time.

  5. Becky Dingle says:
    August 16, 2021 at 10:17 pm

    Rujuta…so interesting in Freedom how you are comparing a trampoline to freedom and up’s and down’s…and in my case it was a pendulum…doesn’t matter where we live…humans share the same feelings as we go through life! 🙂

    Reply

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