Notes to Self...and whoever's listening

Fizzy and I learned a painful lesson last week. Him: going outside upsets the humans. Me: catching a cat in the "wild" can lead to wounds that will likely leave scars.  Fizzy is one of our rescue kitties we got last summer. He's just over a year old now and has quite an adventurous streak. He is often the one leading the charge whenever the naughtiness is underway in our home. He's also a lover who demands pets and purrs louder than I've ever heard come out of a cat!  Cue his adventurous streak last Wednesday. He decided a little run outside while my sister was bringing in groceries would be fun. He went into our neighbor's yard (the one with a larger dog who luckily wasn't out at the time). There he chased a bunny and had the time of his short life while my sister and I tried to corral him. We finally cornered him and my sister told me to grab him since I was closest. I leaned down and grabbed his scruff/neck, but before I ever had a chance to bring his b...

Yep. You read that right. I'm 46 years old today and I've never had a romantic kiss. (And if you're really thinking about that, no, I have never had a boyfriend either.) Why am I sharing that?  A sweet friend turned 43 last month and she and her friend turning the same age quipped that they were "43 and up a tree!" I laughed and told her that I would be worried what they would say about me turning 46! She decided "46 just for kicks". I told her that would be okay if I thought I could get my legs up to kick these days! :) But as I've thought about things a lot more this past month as I usually do leading up to my birthday, this theme is what continued to play out in my mind. I honestly find myself depressed around my birthday because I end up thinking about what I've not accomplished and the fact that I'm STILL single after another rotation around the sun. Seriously...after rotating around the sun 28 since turning the age to vote, I thought I...

Welcome to the First Church of America - A Little Something I Wrote. Click on the pink writing to read that. :) I've sat in sadness and horror these past few days as the news has given us just small glimpses into the collapse of the Afghan government. Politics aside, which is difficult in that is seems that is what is at the heart of this mess, I'm heartbroken for the people. Today the pictures showed a plane stuffed likely beyond capacity of people leaving their homeland with little more than what clothes they were wearing just to escape the evil regime now in charge. But for every one that escaped, how many more were left? How many women and children will suffer atrocities at the hands of evil now? How many young boys will be forced to be soldiers? How many men will be forced to choose family or country? How many Christians will lose their lives just because they bear that name: Christian? Heartbreaking. I'll admit to not being one that is always up to date on what is hap...

It’s been a long year. I’ve held up as well as the next, I’m guessing. Mostly okay with bouts of frustration and a few meltdowns and tears. You? I’ve spent the last week since I ran away thinking through some things and something hit me a few nights ago. And it reminded me I’m just a broken human in need of God’s grace.  Prior to Covid I had a group of friends that I reached out to immediately to pray for and with me for a variety of things. Sometimes I’d reach out with huge, life-changing circumstances and sometimes just worrisome complaints. They didn’t judge, they didn’t question, they just prayed and encouraged.  They still would...if I’d been messaging them. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Somewhere in the last year, I stopped reaching out. I can’t tell you when. I can’t tell you why. I just know that when recently considering something rather “big” in my life that is upcoming, I realized I hadn’t reached out and been covered in prayer like I normally would be at this point.  And I felt lon...

 We're all feeling stress these days. It's everywhere. It continues to come at us from all sides and there is just no where to escape it. The news is saturated so much it is sickening. Money is tight and every where you turn, the prices are going up. We haven't spent much true, quality time with friends in over a year. And, let's be honest. This weather hasn't been very helpful, either! Is it winter? Fall? Summer? Spring? Or just a Monday?! It all came crashing down on me last Thursday and I couldn't take it another day. So, I decided that on Friday I was running away. But, like a young child threatening to do the same, I didn't execute it very well to start. I told my family. :) My sister reminded me that the first rule in running away was not telling anyone. Yeah, well I don't follow rules very well anyway! Second, I fretted about where to go into the wee hours of the night! Spontaneity is NOT my strong suit! I'm terrible at it! I need a plan, a li...

  If I were to ask if you believe in God, many say yes . If I were to ask if you are a Christian, again, many say yes . If I were to ask if you go to church regularly, many say no . That last answer makes me sad. BUT, I don't fault you entirely. I have attended countless churches over my lifetime. I grew up in the church as a daughter of a pastor/chaplain and a granddaughter of a pastor. If church doors were open, Escalante's were usually there. I also attended Christian schools from K-12, all an assortment of religious backgrounds. To say I've seen and heard a lot is an understatement. Many have chosen that church isn't for them and that is a personal choice I can't fault them for. It saddens me because I truly believe everyone needs church and benefits from it, but I will never chase someone down and make them f eel bad about their choices. What saddens me the most, though. are those that don't feel comfortable in a church because of how they were treated. I h...

  I've never been more humiliated in my life. I cried myself to sleep that night and woke up with tears in my eyes. When I left the appointment, I went to my happy place, Target, just because I couldn't go home just then. I needed time to let things filter through me. What happened? A chest x-ray. More specifically, an x-ray tech happened. I've had coughing fits for probably 10 years, but in the last 2 they have gotten progressively worse. I went to my primary several times. She addressed some allergy issues and thought that was all. Nope. She sent me to have a lung function test. I rated a 81% and "normal" is 80%-100% so I was told it wasn't a lung issue. So I was sent to an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) doctor.  Some of my frustration started before I met the x-ray tech. It started with the ENT doc. She did a test (way more uncomfortable than a Covid test, I might add) by sticking a tiny camera up my nose to check out my nasal cavities and my throat. Once tha...

  Let's start with some truths about me: 1. I'm an American. 2. I'm a Christian. 3. Politics upset me. I choose Republican to vote as it more closely mirrors what I believe - usually. 4. I voted for Trump. Both times. 5. I won't apologize for my beliefs. Sadly, those 5 truths have gotten me into a decent amount of arguments this past year, one just last night. One thing that hit me this morning as I was replaying last night's argument in my head is that I was frustrated with the other person because they only ever see their point and refuse to contemplate mine. Gently, the Lord asked if I do the same. Of course, I argued and said no at first. :) Then I stopped to replay the argument again...with that truth in mind.  Yeah, I wanted that person to see my way. I want that person to believe as I do. And I argued like I could possibly change their mind. It hit me that two things I really should avoid arguing about are God and politics. They are two things I'm passion...

If you know me even a little, you know church is a favorite place of mine. I grew up in a church. Literally. For three years in NYC, my dad pastored a Spanish-speaking church and we lived on the main floor of the church.  My father is a retired minister and chaplain. My grandfather was a minister. Even have a few grandmothers who were ministers. I, too, was a chaplain for about 8 years. One might say church is in my blood. Over the years, I've heard a lot of unkind things said about pastor's children. I even had one well-meaning youth leader pull me aside in junior high to remind me that I'm no better than anyone else and needed to remember that. Trust me, I do remember to this day. I do know that some pastor's kids were given free reign and were allowed to do what they wanted and receive little to no reprimands. That didn't fly with my parents. It probably helped me that I didn't have much of a rebellious bone in my body growing up. I left that to my siblings. ...