Shannon K. Abel
Bio
The journey to here has been remarkable. Everyone has a story. Everyone has a story that will break your heart. I hope my stories heal the world. Currently I am a producer, writer, and semi-retired. Thank you for checking out my stories.
Stories (15)
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The Trouble With...(Pt. 6)
We had talked about it for a while. I suppose we had actually had as many as 10 separate discussions on the subject over the course of a six month time span. Now, as you grow older, you know that 6 months gets shorter and shorter with each passing year. But when you are still 11 years old, 6 months is a very long time. And 10 conversations during that time seems like your parents must surely have forgotten that they ever took place! Rest assured, your parents think 'you just won't let it drop,' or 'that kid has a one-track mind!' Well, we talked about it.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 13)
Let us take a moment to talk about the two types of people in the world. I grant you there is a lot (and I am not making that number up) of different views on this subject. There are memes that will keep you laughing for hours. There are educational discussions on the matter that make you think you should not judge others. While this is inherently true, there is something within us that automatically divides. For example, without one the other could not exist. They may be obviously opposite, but they compliment each other. They stand interdependent, and are still interconnected. They relate to one another in a way that brings meaning to chaos. It is the Yin-Yang principle, if you will. It is almost assuredly why we say "opposites attract" when we talk about relationships. And you cannot have night without day, hot without cold, true without false, or right without left. The list could go on. I do not pretend to be an expert. I can only give you my opinion. Why do we subconsciously make this division within ourselves?
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 12)
I can’t tell you what Snoop Dogg means by the term ‘church.’ I can only tell you what I have surmised it to be. That meaning to me was taken from the slang term ‘word.’ A person says it to emphasize a remark made by a friend, or agree with what was said. I always thought the natural progression of the terms came to be slang for ‘amen.’ This is the ‘word’ of God, so be it. I heard Snoop Dogg use ‘church,’ and assumed that was what he meant. I don’t know if he was the first to use it, but he was the first person I ever heard use it.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 10)
No amusement park has truly been experienced if you haven’t loved your Ferris Wheel. That was my feeling until our summer vacation of 1992. The world was different then. Let me take you back to a time when CDs outsold audiocassettes for the first time in history, Sega Genesis established the first commercial worldwide videogame release known as “Sonic 2sday,” The Prince and Princess of Wales announced their separation, and the World Wide Web had just begun. Let’s not kid ourselves, mobile phones were not readily available. If you were lucky enough to be a private investigator in Hawaii, or employed by a guy named Charlie, you might have one bulky looking console type phone in your fancy car. Otherwise, you have to wait another 10 years like everyone else.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 8)
We took a summer vacation to visit some areas in Illinois and Missouri. One of our main destinations was St. Louis, Missouri. Stephanie was about 4, and Justin was pushing 7. Family trips were always pretty predictable for us. There were certainties that would happen no matter how hard we tried to avoid them. I’m confident that every family has their own set of certainties.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 11)
Gosh, how I love to swim. After all these years, I still want to be in the water all summer long. I love the smell of the water. I love to fish. I love to be out in a boat. Being near open water is healing to my soul. If I’m stuck with going to a pool, then I guess that’s what I’ll have to use. I don’t prefer them, but they are fun!
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 7)
I always wanted a cat. It’s true; I’m a cat person. For all of you dog lovers don’t be offended. I love all animals. I just prefer cats. I think they are easier to take care of because they all but take care of themselves. As luck would have it, we came upon one that was part of a litter of neighborhood strays. They were living under our back porch and the neighbors’ front porch. The particular kitten I noticed happened to appear one evening after the sun had set. She only came out at night; it seems, because of her coloring. She was so tiny and frail and didn’t get as much to eat as the others because she was so different from them. Her coloring…was that of a Siamese.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 9)
I will not bore you with the care and maintenance of home fish tanks. Let’s just agree that pets are always more work than you think they will be when you begin a journey with them. Fish are by far the biggest surprise. They are a surprise because your child may win one at a fair. Do you have any idea how completely unsanitary that is? Do you realize the life expectancy of those poor little buggers? Don’t bother to answer because we all know.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 5)
“Hell Is For Children.” It’s a powerful song. It is about child abuse. It is also a great rock song. And if you happen to play that music all of the time, your kids will hear it. If you aren’t paying attention, don’t worry! They are. While you might not think it makes any difference because you are so used to hearing it, rest assured, it does!
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Trouble With...(Pt. 4)
Kids get bored in school. All kids get bored in school. Smart kids get down-right fed up with school. If you know this is happening with your child, should you work with the teacher to challenge the student? We thought we needed to do that with Justin. Otherwise, he would waste his time in school. As parents of a child prodigy (because all parents feel that way about their children, right?), we tried to keep him interested in his schoolwork.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
The Tail of Pen'dragon
There weren't always dragons in the valley. The valley itself was mostly void and frozen for what seemed like an eternity. I suppose when I look back now, the cold months were but few. The baldies still tease that we only have two real seasons around here, rather than four: salt and barrel. When the winter rushes in, the salt hits the roads. When the winter breaks, construction begins on the roads. Salt. And barrel.
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Fiction
The Trouble With...(Pt. 3)
Justin was expecting a new sibling. Because he was 3 ½, my husband, Jamie, and I spent a great deal of time explaining to him what was going to happen and how difficult it might be for him at first. It is difficult for new parents to understand the concept of the mother spending more time with the new baby than with the husband. It is harder, I think, for children to understand why this happens. But Justin was very logical. The more I explained how infants required so much more attention because they are helpless, the more he wanted to help. And we wanted him to be involved with everything so he wouldn’t feel left out. I let him choose the music we played for the baby during pregnancy. This usually consisted of Queen, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, MTV, and nothing soothing. It was the mid 1980s, after after all!
By Shannon K. Abel4 years ago in Families
