Ever since I was a child I remember my parents teaching me the importance of tithing and giving back to God. With each weekly allowance, when we could afford it, and every hare-brained entrepreneurial scheme I hatched I would always be sure to set aside my tithe to put into the offering plate on Sunday.

Sometimes I get frustrated at work, when I think about all the things I can't accomplish. No, I'm not talking about making the federal tax system fairer or more equitable or easier to understand. I'm talking about all the things in the daily life of St. Thomas' parish that I can't reach out and accomplish in the personal ways that I wish I could.

We sometimes pray "for all people in their daily life and work - for our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone." Perhaps because I am an only child, because I was unpartnered most of my life, because I value self-sufficiency in myself and others . . . aloneness resonates with me. And even though "alone" does not necessarily mean "lonely," I am sensitized to the lonelier aspects of solitude, too. St. Thomas can be shelter, community, family for those who are alone as well as for families and partnerships made stronger by a foundation of abundant love in Christ.

St. Thomas' is the buttress that holds me up as I live out my Christian life; a place that encourages me to experience my faith journey at my own pace.  It is a home that I can turn to in times of crisis and joy.  I also know that there are Episcopal altars elsewhere in the world that I can seek when in times of need.