How long have you worshiped at Saint Philip’s?
Since 1995. My children were baptized here and went to Sunday School.

Were you raised in a faith tradition?
I came from a very conservative Bible church.

What have you done professionally?
There isn’t enough space here for what I’ve done. For the longest stretch of time I’ve been a medical laboratory scientist. I now work at El Rio Health Center.

What do you like about the work?
I like that it’s kind of gross!

What does the work entail?
The phlebotomists send the blood and urine samples from patients to the lab where I work. We have to test all the specimens quickly because many patients come up from Mexico for only the day or they are homeless. We try to give the doctors results before patients leave the clinic.

How did you get into this work?
In a round about way.

I first earned a two year degree in Veterinary Technology from Harcum Junior College in Pennsylvania. I majored in large animals. I learned how to milk cows, and dehorn and artificially inseminate them. I can also break horses. I can do just about anything on a farm.

After graduation I worked for our family vet. That was a hard transition because I moved back home to Bucks County, Pennsylvania and had no social life.

A friend from school called to tell me about a teaching position at a technical college in South Carolina. I jumped at the chance and moved with $200 in my pocket.

After a few twists and turns (including a car accident that provided a helpful settlement to pay for school) I ended up at Clemson University and earned a BS degree in Animal Husbandry.

I went back to school in my early 30s at the University of Arizona to get my medical technology degree.

What about Saint Philip’s speaks to you?
Its beauty. Much of my church background included worshiping in very plain buildings because it was believed that the aesthetic wasn’t important.

But I’m attracted to beauty, and appreciate how I feel in our sanctuary.

I also love the ritual. I feel the presence of God when we do the Eucharist.

What role does faith play in your life?
It’s everything to me. I pray every day. I read my bible every day. When I’m out and about in the world I pray to see where there is need that I can help with. I don’t think there’s any room for being lukewarm about that. Faith and action play a huge role in my life.

This time around I feel much more devoted and convicted about what’s right and good—and I’m grateful for that.

What do you mean by “this time around?”
I went through a really bad patch for many years and every time I came to church I would start crying. I couldn’t stand all the emotions I felt so I left for a long time. When you have trouble that’s when you need God the most. But I withdrew.

Over the last five years I’ve slowly returned—and now the practice is entrenched.

How are you involved at Saint Philip’s?
I’m on the Altar Guild and when time allows I help in the woodshop.

You have some experience with woodworking, correct?
I redid all the cabinetry in my current house last summer. I bought a sander and got to work. I stripped the cabinets of their 16 layers of paint and then stained them.

I put a big canopy up on the side porch, got some tables, put fans out, and went at it. Everything was finished in two to three weeks.

If you got a do-over for one decision in your life, what would it be?
I wish I would have pursued becoming a vet. I had to work my way through college so my grades weren’t great. I don’t know that I could have worked any harder. Not needing to work would have been wonderful.

Clemson was such a fabulous university but I didn’t get to experience the football games and the whole social fabric. I wish I could have enjoyed that.

Is there a place particularly special to you?
I find the most comfort when inside our church.

What’s a lesson you keep being invited to learn?
It’s one I pray for help with every day: I go into things full guns blazing and think that I can do everything and that I don’t need help. I pay a miserable price for that over and over again.

What’s the price you pay?
Exhaustion—mentally and physically. I have some chronic diseases now because of the lifelong stress of it.

I’ve always had the mentality that I can make anything happen–no matter the cost to the people around me or myself.

What have you learned from that?
That the root of my issue is failing to ask if what I want is also what God wants. Looking back, my choices were based most of the time on what I wanted.

I now pray that I can understand God’s will.

How do you discern that?
I pray. I present my questions to God before forging ahead like I used to. I have to trust that God will provide me with the wisdom that I ask for. In the past I wouldn’t have asked!

What do you do to replenish yourself?
I read a lot. And I often fall down the rabbit hole on Netflix. I love scary movies—even horror movies.

They don’t put good things in my heart and mind but I’ll admit to loving them. They’re usually not very realistic so… Movies that have real demons in them do scare me.

What’s something you know now that your younger self didn’t?
Everything! I was always a very independent spirit. And part of that meant I didn’t take advice or guidance…from anybody. I was as wild as a march hare, and did whatever I wanted. I had to learn a lot of rough lessons before understanding that I need guidance and help—like everyone else.

What’s one of your core values?
To follow through on my word. If I say I’m going to help or do something, then I do it.

What’s one of your guiding principles?
Check in with God first. That’s why I always pray in the morning. That way I know I’ve started the day to the best of my ability to get some help and see where I can do good.

What’s something you’re grateful for?
So many things. For this interview I’ll highlight my husband.

It’s taken us a long time to be where we are in our relationship. We’ve been married for 34 years and have three children. He’s done a lot for me, and I’m very grateful.

What’s one of your super powers?
In Corinthians it says we all have different gifts. I think one of my gifts is that I’m a generous person. I have manna bags in the car and cash in my purse so that I’m ready to help when necessary.

Have you done something new recently?
I semi-retired about two years ago, and embraced that.

I was going to the YWCA to work out, do yoga, and lift weights. And I resumed horse back riding.

My family didn’t want me to do that because I broke my back years ago teaching my daughter how to roller skate. But I didn’t care. I love riding too much.

But I compromised and volunteered at the Tucson Dressage Club horse shows so I could get my horse fix.

You had to let go of that this year, right?
I did. I refurbished my casita so my mother could move in with me in March. But she was in the house for only two months before she broke her hip and had to move to an assisted living facility.

I visited her two to three hours every day. Being with my mother and taking care of my home while still working part-time pretty much required that I put my other activities on hold.

She died on December 10 in hospice care back at home. We had her funeral at Saint Philip’s on January 3.

How do you see your future?
I almost feel like at this point in my life I would become a nun. But they won’t take you after 50 so I’ll focus on helping out at church as I can.

What’s something you haven’t done that you’d still like to do?
When Jim and I first moved to Tucson from Alabama we bought five acres in the northwest area. We built a house and put up a barn with horses, chicken, and donkeys. I loved it! But we had kids and I was working so it wasn’t sustainable.

Now I would love to move to the east side, buy some property again, and have a barn with some animals.

What’s a fun fact about you?
I lived in Melbourne, Australia for a year. I loved it and cried all the way back to Los Angeles when we left.

We had two kids in school at the time and because I wasn’t working, it was the first time in my life I had time to meet other mothers and make a circle of friends.

They made even recorder recitals fun!