Notes to Self...and whoever's listening

This time of year is beautiful in the Midwest. The weather is cooling, drawing us to our hoodies, cozy sweaters and long forgotten jeans. Yards are decorated with cornstalks, pumpkins and fancy scarecrows. On trash days, curbs are lined with bags and bags of dead leaves and other yard waste as home owners ready their home for the coming cold months. And then there are the trees. I've taken a walk the last few nights with Lucas around our neighborhood and enjoyed the changing foliage much more than my twelve year old nephew. I'm a picture person. He's a get it done kind of kid. I stop a LOT to admire scenery. His mind has already completed the walk and is on to his next video game. He is often a block ahead of me before he realizes I stopped to admire a pinecone on the ground or a beautiful leaf on the road. I saw this quote and it resonated with me again:    Isn't that great? Humans resist change. We have readily displayed that ever since Covid-19 disrupted our lives an...

 Ah, birthdays. This year's birthday has me equal parts appreciative, apprehensive and annoyed. I truly am appreciative for all that the Lord has given me, including the countless friends that have reached out to me all day long to wish me a great day. I'm appreciative of family, including a sister fighting her own pain today working to make my birthday dinner just right. I'm appreciative of loving uncles far away who called me to razz me about my age and wish me well. I have a LOT to appreciate, no doubt. I'm apprehensive because age brings new issues, like my brother and I discussing birthdays (his was yesterday) and then veering off course to talk about our carpel tunnel and how he's going to the doc today and I'm getting injections in my hands tomorrow. I'm apprehensive that I don't have a church home currently. I'm apprehensive that Covid is still here. I'm apprehensive because it's a bit of how I live, who I am. I'm annoyed with the...

 I had an "as for me and my house" moment this week. Ever had one of those? Of course, I'm not dealing with what Joshua had to deal with way back when those words were first uttered. I have never spied on foreign lands, reported back to Moses, then helped lead the charge in said land. Phew. That sounds like a lot of work! 😂😂 No, I just had a moment this week where it dawned on me that I haven't been taking Covid-19 precautions as I once had. Here is a post I shared on Facebook yesterday explaining a bit more:  I hate Covid. I know I'm not the only one. I just realized how much I do last night...or maybe I just re-realized (yeah, that's a word cuz I said so!) it last night. I've been lax in my stand against Covid. Yes, I still wear my mask (and if you choose not to, please distance from my family until this is over), I have made it a point not to go inside of people's houses instead meeting friends on their porches, I wash my hands all the time and ca...

In these past few months, everyone has an opinion, Popular or not. They range from conspiracy theories that make as much sense as Bigfoot (who my father just told me wants to be called by his real name, Darryl. He watches too much tv.) to political thoughts that border on insanity to average "it could maybe be this way, right?" It's exhausting and neverending.  So why have I asked you here today? To share my opinion, of course. My point of view if that makes you continue to read and not click off the browser right now. An IDEA if that sits any better with you. What if...just imagine with me...that children don't NEED to go back to school right now. Of course, they need learning. I don't have completely irrational thoughts!  I have seen lots of social media posts about how much children need to go back to school and that their mental health depends on it. I've seen it argued that they have to have their sports, their extracurriculars, their friends. I've ev...

I'm a white girl of Hispanic/Caucasian origin. I'm a pastor's kid, turned chaplain's kid. I've lived in four states and many homes. I had the privilege of attending a private school my whole life due to my parent's purposeful sacrifice. I've stood in line in NYC for government cheese and powdered milk. I've heard my parents worry about bills. Sheesh, I do that myself now! I have always hated the term "white privilege" because it came across to me as though my family and I hadn't worked hard for what we had. I've been reluctant to share the #blacklivesmatter hashtag because to me all lives matter. I was taught not to see color, but to the see the heart of the person. Enter the past week and everything I lived and learned has fallen at my feet and left me questioning. In trying to not spew false sentiments or platitudes, I reached out to a friend I've known since high school. He, his sister, my brother and I all bowled tog...

Days are long right now. Arguments are easy to come by. People are angry. And it's exhausting. No one is happy. Not shocking. An unknown entity has infiltrated our lives with vigor and is unrelenting in its ferocity and effects. It has infected hundreds of thousands across the globe. It's killing people who appeared to stand the best chance at fighting it. Guess what, though?  I'm not talking about Covid-19. I'm talking about personal opinions. Oh, the news is full of opinions.  And, the "professional" social media people sure have their opinion, too.   Try as I might, almost every time I've shared my opinion, even qualifying it as such, I get bombarded with reasons as to why my opinion is wrong. Having an opinion isn't wrong. It's normal. It's what free-thinking humans are gifted with: a brain that gathers information and formulates it into something they believe. What is wrong with opinions is how you wield them. Republican or...

A new month.  Same virus wrecking havoc in our world.   Tired of it yet?  I am more tired of how people are treating people.  It's amazing to me how a world-wide pandemic has divided the people more rather than unite us in one common effort: preserving human lives. But that is not what I am focusing on today. I had a pep talk with myself about a week and a half ago.  I had fallen on the slippery slope of just not caring.  I have had three day weekends since April.  At first, I was kinda depressed, yet still focused on cleaning like a crazy person.  After that I found myself one entire weekend on the couch with Netflix and movies.  Then I tried to force myself into crafting of which I accomplished a little.  But then, I hit a wall.   I was tired.  I was frustrated.  I was sad.  I was antsy. So me, myself and I called a board meeting. We took into consideration the state of the world.  We look...

This has been the strangest few weeks I've lived in a long time!  I saw a meme the other day that said who knew that my favorite three things were going out to eat, shopping at non-essential stores and touching my face?!  Turns out that meme was exactly me! 😆 Kidding aside, have you felt depressed?  Sad?  Frustrated?  Angry?  Scared?  I have.  This is a time that we as a world haven't faced and it has emotions running amok!  It's also hard to watch the politics play out pitting one side against the other yet again.  Seems like our nation will never be able to get along. Then we are seeing people being afflicted with Covid-19, seeing people on the front lines work tirelessly to save lives.  We're seeing others let go from the one job that is keeping them eating and living under a roof, such as it might be.  We're seeing national companies scramble to figure out how to respond to this crisis. You know what else I've not...

Wow.  What a week, huh? I hesitate to mention the word (shhh, whisper it: Coronavirus or Covid-19, if you prefer) because we're all getting tired of it.  Looks like for the time being, though, it is a part of our every day lives and vocabulary.  Kids are off school, things are closing faster than we can keep up and grocery stores are seeing records set for certain items bought. It's real.  It's affecting every single person all over the world.  What's worse, it can be INfecting someone and they might not know it.  Scary thought. Besides the obvious concerns about shut downs, loss of jobs for the time being, quarantine possibilities and social distancing, one thing has replayed over and over in my mind.  The last unprecedented even to happen on American soil: 9/11. Here's why: In the late fall of 2000, I had the opportunity and did purchase the store I'd worked for for several years - Party Works.  I loved that store.  We sold party ...

Anyone else catch themselves in the middle of discussions about the Super Bowl?  I'll admit to NOT having watch a bit of it, but because Kansas City is my brother's team and where we were born (he in Kansas City, Missouri in 1978 and me in Kansas City, Kansas in 1975), my sister kept checking the score while we were binge watching Arrow on the CW.  A big congrats to Kansas City, by the way! Okay, but that is not what I was talking about.  The half-time show seems to have stole the show - at least where social media is concerned.  Jennifer Lopez and Shakira gave a memorable performance leaving literally everything out on the field, so to speak.   So, let me be honest for a second and tell you again, I still have not seen ONE minute of their performance.  I didn't have to to know what they were capable of.  Nor did I want to because I knew what they were capable of. Those are two talented and extremely athletic women.  BUT they are also ...

I meant to write this on Friday.  Things got in the way, yet I'm back because the same thoughts are rolling around in my head.  Must need to release them.  (UPDATE: Just as I was about to publish this, an urgent medical issue arose in my family.  God knew the landscape was about to shift some.  For now, pray with us, please.) Friday our area was preparing for the first winter storm of the year and really the only second one this winter.  It's been an unusually mild winter to which I haven't been too upset about since it has allowed me to keep my beloved flip flops securely on my feet!  Lucas and I were bummed we didn't get snow on Christmas, but other than that, this weather has been just fine with me! Back to the storm... Driving to work that morning, it was a beautiful, sunny day.  I don't recall the telltale thick white clouds that looked to be full of ice and snow waiting to be poked by God and fall down on us.  The skies were blue ...