From the Rector - June 2022

I admit that, as strange as it may seem, I really don’t have a favorite poem or childhood story that has served as inspiration through the years. I do remember loving the Encyclopedia Brown series as a kid, perhaps revealing my inclination to be a problem-solver, though this pandemic has flexed that muscle a bit more than any of us would like!

Yet there are two books that have inspired me in my life — not so much for their content, though it is rich, but for what they represent for me. The first is the pocket-sized New Testament & Psalms I received from my Aunt Nancy at the time of my Baptism. I was six months old. The other is a bright red soft cover Book of Common Prayer that my Grandmother Greenwood gave me for my 13th birthday. When I told her that’s what I wanted, she offered to get one for me from the church pew, but I explained that I wanted one with my name on the front, and she delivered.

These books have journeyed with me for most of my life. They went with me on youth retreats and were my companions during college, when I was a thousand miles from home. They were and are reminders of my family and of my faith, and the first verses of bookmarked Psalm 27 provide continual assurance that whatever challenge I face, I have nothing to fear because God is with me. These books are with me still. The NT/Psalms is in my church office, and the Prayer Book stays in my car for when I’m invited into the final sacred moments of one’s earthly journey. What a gift each has been to me.

I hope you’ll read the gifts given by others who have shared their stories in this edition of Tideline. Each reveal a part of their spirit and invite us to know one another more fully. Enjoy!