Uphill idealist

The last weekend of November marks the beginning of the Advent, setting time for all of us to expectantly wait for the blessings of the Christmas season. While there are many opportunities this upcoming month to worship, serve and celebrate with friends and family; I’d like to suggest that this Advent season we should consider ways of setting a pace for peace. When researching the word pace, I came across an image of a flag used by an Italian peace organization established in 1961. I discovered that the Italian word for “pace” is our word for “peace”. "The Italian PEACE flag was inspired by the flag of Anglo-Saxon pacifists who marched in Aldermaston for an anti-nuclear protest, led by Bertrand Russell. Mr. Capitini asked some housewives from Perugia, who were friends of him, to sew with all possible speed some colored stripes to form a flag to be shown during the march. The women choose to sew the background of the flag in the colors of the rainbow in remembrance of the story of

A few weeks ago, I reconnected with an old friend via Facebook and had enjoyed learning about his life and family. About a week ago, Drew's son Levi had a serious and sudden health scare when having a cardiac arrest in gym class. Over the first few traumatic days in the hospital, Facebook, lit up with prayer request and support for Levi and his mom and dad. It is a miracle that Levi is doing well and apparently has no ill effects from this incident. Go to Levi's news story to learn more. Go to " Become a fan of Levi" - a group on Facebook started by his dad Drew to leave notes of encouragement for Levi in his recovery process. Keep praying! Tara

The bakery of my life has been busy the last few weeks with attending the NYWC in Pittsburgh, PA and settling in at my new church. There has been a great deal of letting go and holding on going on in my life, but I will try to be selective in the ones I share with you for this Monday's sleeping with bread. Some of the things I have been trying to leave behind me are connected to sensitive areas or hurt or loss. Some are connected to my childhood and upheavals in my late adolescence, some are related to my vocation and calling in ministry, but they all prove to be associations or specters of boundaries established by sometimes well-meaning, but short-sighted folks or my own doubting voice. I am trying to uncurl the fingers of past hurt to allow remaining words of doubts, negativity, and fear to be exposed to the light of new opportunity and fresh perspective to provide a healing touch some areas of long-time sensitivity. I sense that even after thinking I've dealt with some thin