IDENTITIES
Growing up an Army brat I really only had one identity, I was SFC Kerkman's daughter. That was it. In order to get anywhere on an Army post Dad was stationed at I had to use my dependant ID card. To get on base, to use the PX, commisary, etc. I could do almost nothing without that card stating I was authorized to use those facilities because of my Dad's identity. Even attending DoDDS (Department of Defense Depandant Schools) , I was SFC Kerkman's daughter.
No matter how hard I tried, it seemed that I could not break free of that image. Not that I wanted to, but I wanted to be KARLA and not just SFC Kerkman's daughter! Oh, it did change a little, I became Spc Chapman's girlfriend, PFC Roulason's girlfriend, but still not KARLA!
I was thinking the other day about all of these identities that we all have. Some we will never be free from. I am still SFC(R) Kerkman's daughter, but that is not my main identity now. I am Bruce's wife, a mother, a niece, a granddaughter, etc.
We all have these identities, some we will lose (I have not been Spc Chapman's girlfriend for several years now!), but most we will keep.
These identities are like an egg shell still intact. They are the outside of us, but what is important is what is inside the shell! That little chick (turtle, snake whatever you want it to be) growing inside that egg is so much more important than the shell that people see!
And remember that little chick needs to hatch out of her shell! She is still Bruce's wife, SFC(R) Kerkman's daughter, but what is important is the chick herself! She needs to come out of the shell so that people will know KARLA and stop looking at the shell.
Have you ever come across a bird's nest with eggs inside? Most people I know watch the eggs closely and excitedly wanting those eggs to hatch to see what is inside. There is a lot of excitement when the first egg starts to crack. Ever notice that nobody (or baby bird's parents) try to stuff the bird back inside and repair the shell?
So why do we as humans sometimes stuff people back into their shells, repair the cracks, and tell them they can't fly? I am not sure, but my friends know this: keep pecking away at that shell. You are a beautiful eagle and one day you are going to soar with God's grace!
