Uphill idealist

Earlier this week I had the chance to wander down Hertel Ave. in North Buffalo and came upon a store called "The House of Olives" . The store was filled with metal barrels fill of fancy flavored olive oil and various kinds of vinegar. Each barrels was set up with a sample bottle and little tasting cups for unlimited sampling of their supply of oils and vinegar. I smelled and was amazed at the variety of the flavors available. This place could make cooking really fun! After my friend encouraged me to taste the vinegar -I did and was surprised at it's sweetness, but I was also taken aback by something else. While I expected the olive oil to be think and oily (after all it is oil), the flavored vinegar was incredibly sweet but it also was thick and syrupy. It's consistency I discovered, from the gentleman filling the small bottles for gift sets, made it necessary for him to slow down in filling them. No matter how he tried to hurry, the vinegar syrup would only pour so...

I can't tell you how many times I've thought about the following quote by Dr. M.L. King... "I have a dream that my four little children will oneday live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skinbut by the content of their character." When I was in sixth grade I was chosen to recite this well-known quote in for a musical that we were performing at my school called, "Kids for America". While I was excited about the singing and dancing and having a chance to have a speaking part in the play, this quote rattle around my young mind in a way that no other words had before. I grew up in a tiny town in western Pennsylvania and the community was lily white. There was no racial diversity to see or speak of. The only significant differences I recognized were religious ones, and this only happened because the kids who were Catholic were dismissed early on Fridays so they could attend  Catechism Class. From my perspective I could not un...

When one hears about food being thrown around, we often think back to elementary or middle school food fights. You would probably agree that food fights are wasteful, messy and ridiculous. This is not the kind of food throwing that I refer to. Several years ago, I read a story about two communities of Christians that were separated by to very high wall. The wall was too high to see over, but one day a person walked by the wall and heard a familiar hymn being sung. The music lofted over the wall and the person realized that even though there was a wall between the groups that they had something in common - their faith in Jesus Christ. The person was so excited about hearing the people on the other side of the wall singing and worshiping, that he gathered some friends from his church and went to listen for sounds of their worship. As they had hoped, they heard the singing and joined in singing with them. Even with the wall between them, the two groups of Christians were united in s...

Chowder, in its Western-New-York unique way, is something simple and wonderful. In the parish I serve, chowder is a part of the monthly community ritual that has come down from generation to generation to do what chowder does best - feed the hungry and connect people. While it may not be surprising for those that know me, but I love to connect with people AND I love food. So earlier tonight, when I was invited to stay for a bowl of chowder at a church member's home - I was delighted and the recipient of a lovely blessing. The chowder was wonderful. The carrots, potatoes, celery and corn danced in a tomato broth with tender pieces of chicken and beef dancing around my spoon. I heard about the origin of the recipe for this "chowder", I met some of the family's extended members, I learned how chowder was and is woven into the humble but persistent culture of feeding people with food and friendship. The space this chowder dinner created allowed all around the table ...

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. One of the amazing and curious parts of serving as a Vicar is having the honor of leading worship - specifically communion. From the great thanksgiving to the preface to the words of institution and the invitation to the table; all of me becomes caught up in this beautiful and mysterious sacrament. Each Sunday as I pass out the bread and say, "The body of Christ - given for you." I'm amazed to hear these words coming from out of my mouth. It was something I longed to share with others for so long and now, suddenly, it's a weekly part of the worship experience that I have the honor to help facilitate. This is an amazing fact. There are times, in spite of my internal wonderment, that this practice starts to become more familiar and comfortable - like this is the place I'm meant to be. Then there are time that the wonderment of ...

How often is it that a ten year old boy says to his great aunt, "I want to be baptized. Will you baptize me?" Earlier this summer my great nephew Eli asked me this exact question. His question came on the heels of he baby brother, Atticus, birth. Days passed, but Eli would not forget his question about baptism. He got the ball rolling and kept it going until October 11, 2015. This story gets even better as Eli continues to ask for what he desires and requests my husband Ian and I to stand as godparents for himself and Atticus.  We were honored. We said yes! The day arrived. The Eastman and Sullivan clan arrived in full force. We were so proud, of Eli's desire to be called a child of God and carry his three month old brother to the waters of baptism with him. This was a day to treasure - and remember. Elias Robert Eastman and Atticus Joseph Sullivan  are publicly and forever children of the water. In Gratitude - Auntie Vic...

There is something fun about business cards that have unexpected dimension and image. As I've been meeting so many new people here in the Buffalo, it was necessary for me to get some new cards to help make some connections. Last week I ordered some square cards with the use of some photos from my Instagram account -  Vicar Tara . What do you think of them?

What feelings do these images stir up for you? What actions do they imply? After a struggle with concepts - and almost being run over with a mason jar display at Michael's, this idea really is one that hits my thoughts about the upcoming mission fair home... The jar is filled. The jar is an everyday item. The image is neither too feminine or masculine... What do you think? Which jar design do you prefer? What about the extra text below? Does the earthy wood grain work? Thank you for your feed back!