Sarah Condon
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Photographer. Dog Lover. Equestrian. Foodie. Fashionista. @RIT Grad.
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Articles by Sarah Condon
Warning Labels Are Runway Lights
Bible Hopelessly Devoted: Galatians Six Fourteen Sarah Condon / 5.13.26 We’re resurrecting our Hopelessly Devoted series to highlight today’s entry in our 365-day devotional, Daily Grace, which is now available in a smaller (4″ x 6″) travel edition! Grab it in our store or on Amazon. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
The Magazine Grace for Postpartum Moms Sarah Condon / 2.12.26 This essay appears in Issue 28 of The Mockingbird magazine, now available to order. Dear Gracie, I’m three months postpartum and it ain’t pretty. Even though I’ve read all of the books and heard all of the stories, no one could’ve prepared me for how different I would feel in my own skin. I’m weirdly self-conscious since my body became someone else’s home to inhabit.
No More Flaccid Christmas Stockings
A Gift-Giving Primer for Husbands (and Wives) Sarah Condon / 12.17.25 / 1 There is a scene in the movie Oh. What. Fun. where a middle-aged mother (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) has left her horribly unthankful family on Christmas Eve and driven cross-country to show up for her favorite talk show. The host, played by Eva Longoria, has a contest every year called the Holiday Mom Special.
It’s a Beautiful Day to Yell at God
When I was in middle school, I knew immediately that Jill had to be my best friend. She was gorgeous and funny and creative. She was not afraid to act foolishly for the sake of a laugh. And that is no small thing when you are thirteen. We went to parties we did not tell our parents about. We once got very drunk from the peach schnapps she brought home from Jewish summer camp. Hilariously, I had my first bagel at her house. I’m a priest now. She’s an actress.
We Do Not Do This Because It Is Easy
But Because We Thought It Would Be Easy Sarah Condon — “We Do Not Do This Because it Is Easy, But Because We Thought it Would Be Easy” from Mockingbird on Vimeo. Sign up for the Mockingbird Newsletter Δ
From Your Child’s School: the End of the Year Newsletter
A Plea for Some Relief As this school year begins to wind down, I find myself baffled at the way that my children’s sartorial demands are ratcheting up. If you are unfamiliar, I am speaking of the School Newsletter. In it, we learn that the last week (or God, forbid, month) is full of themed dressing. Dress like a tourist day, Barbie/Ken day, monochromatic day, and my most favorite, Allergy Awareness Day. And yes, these are all real examples.
Tragic Forgiveness
The Hand of God in the Face of Unimaginable Loss From the recent conference, Fallen & Free: Grace in the Ruins. Sign up for the Mockingbird Newsletter Δ
Happy Ash Valentine's Day
Bucket Lists, Sexy Parrot Cards, and Ash Wednesday “We gotta go on more trips together,” my friend said to me, “we are at that age were people start to die of weird cancers. And she’s not wrong. As I write this, I am waiting on biopsy results for one friend while also watching another friend go through her third round of cancer at 39.
Revenge Vampires
Retribution, Violence, and … Mercy A few years ago we decided to buy a little house in Oxford, Mississippi. With my parents dead, it made sense for us to have a place where we could be close to family. It is an idyllic place. Regularly featured on numerous “Top 10 Places to Retire,” Oxford has it all: great food, incredible arts scene, football, and a lovely community. People have been nothing but kind to us when we are there.
Put the Sad Back in Christmas
Enough With the Forced Holly Jolly There I was, minding my own business, trying to fight off perimenopausal bone density loss while lifting weights at my local YMCA, when all of the sudden Joni Mitchell came to do me in. I have never been someone who cries at music. And I have heard her song “River” on plenty of occasions. But I am middle aged now and I have had my fair share of humbling and losses and humbling losses. And her lost love song meets Christmas carol took me down where I stood.
The Terribly Good News About Sanctification - Mockingbird
“Thanks,” I said, “we’ve suffered a lot together. That’s why we are close.” A few months ago I was standing in church with my brother, sister-in-law, their new baby, and our two kids. A young woman tapped me on the shoulder at the end of the service and said, “You all are such a beautiful family! You seem so close. It was really nice to sit behind you.” I knew what she meant. Since we lost my parents a few years ago, we are close.
Dear Gracie ... How Do I Manage the Overwhelm of A.I.?
This year, 11 of my 127 students (that I know of) wrote final essays with A.I., and I’m about ready to throw in the towel. The following is a selection from the regular advice column published in the The Mockingbird magazine. Questions for Gracie for the upcoming “Home” Issue of the magazine are currently being accepted. If you want advice for yourself (or a “friend”), send questions, with a pseudonym, to magazine@mbird.com. All emails will be kept confidential.
The Best Boss You'll Ever Have
I was told I was beloved and worthy and so I began to believe it and act accordingly. The following excerpt comes from Churchy: The Real Life Adventures of a Wife, Mom, and Priest: In 2013 the Harvard Business Review published a study called “If Your Boss Thinks You’re Awesome, You Will Become More Awesome.” Their research proved what every low (wo)man on the totem pole already knew: If your boss treats you like a great employee, it will make you less likely to be a bad one.
When Cain and Abel Meet Again
We cannot forget that even scripture does not get the final word. Heaven does. This reflection originally appeared in today’s entry of Daily Grace: The Mockingbird Devotional, Vol. 2: It can be very tempting to read the Old and New Testaments like a before-and-after home makeover: No one understood the space before the designers came in! What’s with the old carpets and wallpaper? Was this even a real house?
Help! How Do I Balance Love and Tough-Love?
Fielding Questions on Parenting, WebMD Self-Diagnosing, and Med Student Anxiety The following is a selection from the regular advice column published in the The Mockingbird magazine. Questions for Gracie for the upcoming “Mystery” Issue of the magazine are currently being accepted. If you want advice for yourself (or a “friend”), send questions, with a pseudonym, to magazine@mbird.com. All emails will be kept confidential.
The Light Has Come to Stay
The Resurrection rips through all of my intellectual questions This reflection by Sarah Condon originally appeared in Daily Grace: The Mockingbird Devotional, Vol. 2. There is a local legend of a preacher in Jackson, Mississippi. He stood up to offer a word on Easter Sunday, simply leaned into the mic and said, “It’s all true,” then sat down. I have heard people tell this story two ways. Some people talk about that minister like he was a lazy so-and-so with little regard for the pageantry of Easter.
Feeling Known in the Horrors of Holy Week
Where most other people probably felt abject horror, I felt known. Even though I have only seen it once, the movie Midsommar is forever burned in my brain. It is a movie that essentially plays out death on repeat as the narrative explores a cult that ritualistically expects members to die. Easily the most graphic scenes are of people leaping to their deaths from a cliff onto rocks. And everything is on display. I have never loved horror movies. But I loved Midsommar.
Grace for Almond Moms (Like Me)
My earliest memory of my mother was of her attending a jazzercise class. I was three years old and remember begging her not to leave. And I also remember thinking, “When I am grown I will never go to whatever horrible thing jazzercise is.” For all of my childhood, and into our friendship as adults, I watched my mom go through every iteration of Weight Watchers (its like magic math for not eating) and she went on and off different versions of every low carbohydrate diet imaginable.
Dear Gracie: What if I Die in My Sleep?!
Signed, Anxious Dad The following is a selection from the regular advice column published in Sleep issue of The Mockingbird magazine. If you want advice for yourself (or a “friend”) send questions, with a pseudonym and general location, to magazine@mbird.com. While we can’t promise a response for everything, all emails will be kept confidential.
Calling All Insomniacs: The Sleep Issue Is Now Available to Pre-Order!
Pleased to announce Issue 21 of The Mockingbird magazine is now available to pre-order. Sleep is not a systematic process and rarely complies with our expectations for it. Some of us sleep when we don’t want to; more of us can’t sleep when we try. All of us will have both experiences at different times in life. Today, we live under the illusion that sleep can be perfected if only we try hard enough.
Back To School, I Mean Anxiety, I Mean School
The school year brings enough anxiety to blow the roof off of a cathedral. This article was originally published on Mbird in August of 2016. After months of swimming pools and sleeping late, the school year is upon us. For so many reasons, we rejoice in its arrival. The fall means that we get to reboot the family schedule. We buy a new day planner (if you’re a Technology Memaw like myself) and make dinners in the crockpot again.
Dear Gracie… What Is Up with Time?
When we are struggling it goes so slow, and when we want more of it, it vanishes. This is an excerpt from the advice column in the latest issue of The Mockingbird magazine. For more, order your copy here! Dear Gracie, How are we supposed to be able to deal with time? When we are struggling it goes so slow, and when we want more of it, it vanishes. Signed, Grownup ….. Dear Grownup, I wish I knew.
Hope for the Home Lost
At the heart of suffering really is hope. And at the heart of hope is Jesus.
More Like Chris Rock Than Will Smith
I live for drama. I love the narrative of a trying to figure out who the bad guy is. And televised slapping is my favorite. The Oscars were obviously great for me. I have been talking to everyone I know about Will Smith giving Chris Rock the whatfor on behalf of Jada Pinkett Smith. At least in my circles, everyone has got an opinion about whether or not they would have Smith-slapped or not. Everyone but my brother. My brother Aaron is significantly younger than me and newly married. He adores his wife.
The Relief of Lent
Tis the season for grief, weakness, and the God who loves the worst of us. As Ash Wednesday is upon us, it feels like Lent is the one church season that really gets it right. And by that, I mean, the seasons of the church liturgical calendar can often feel woefully out of touch with what is actually happening in the world. Amidst my to-do lists and holiday existential angst, the church often spends Advent telling me I need to be more present.
The 14th Annual Mockingbird Conference
The Mbird NYC Conference is just two months away!!! After three years since our last conference, we couldn’t be more thrilled.
A Sermon for This Sunday
What a week. There is a war on the continent of Europe. People have already died needlessly, children are sleeping with their parents in shelters. I do not even know what hoping for the best looks like at a moment like this. We also find ourselves in the last days in the season of Epiphany. This season of light as we head towards Lent. And if Lent is characterized by anything it is definitely the absence of presence. The absence of light.
A Light Year - Mockingbird
I do wonder if anyone is still making a New Year’s Resolution. Like an actual one, about weight, or money, or reading the Bible more. Doesn’t it feel like just living is enough right now? Between the news cycle and how everyone you know has Covid, isn’t it incredible that you are still here? You have made it through so much. You, the old you, the you who made it through 2021. Why would we ever need a newer version of the person who bravely faced so much pain? I rather like the 2021 you. And me.
Announcing: Issue 19 of The Mockingbird Magazine
Aging is eternally awkward. That’s what I discovered while preparing Issue 19 of The Mockingbird magazine. Whenever I mentioned the theme to anyone, the exchange was uniformly uncomfortable; self-deprecation seemed mandatory. Part of the discomfort, I guess, is that aging is usually bad news. Each stage of life brings expectations we struggle to meet, and we tend to think that by a certain age you should be a certain way.
People I Am Praying for Right Now
A pregnant friend who had to cancel her trip to Disney World. My asthmatic dad. All of the older people who are coming to church. All of the older people who are not coming to church. Children in the third ward of Houston who depend on school for food. Their parents. Anyone making decisions about whether or not to close schools. Everyone in our city who just has allergies but believes that their spouse in a bathrobe might be the grim reaper. The grim reaper. This is a tough season for her.
Photos: Advocates gather for climate strike rally in Utica
Sarah Condon scondon@uticaod.com Friday Dec 6, 2019 at 4:21 PM Members of the community gathered Friday at the intersection of Genesee Street and the Memorial Parkway in Utica to participate in the national climate strike.
A Hope for Thanksgiving
I was in late elementary school the first time I heard someone use a racial slur in my house. This was quite a feat in Mississippi where such a word was common parlance. My parents had never really commented about why we did not say it. I just knew that we did not say it. It was a relative who blurted it out. My father, the cook in our family, was standing at the counter, mashing potatoes, having casual conversation. I was standing in rapt observation.
BRIEF: NY Public Safety Teams Gather to Train with Drones
The New York State Preparedness Training Center hosted public safety officials for the 2019 New York Unmanned Aircraft Systems Public Safety Fly-In Tuesday. The event showcased new technology and techniques. by Sarah Condon, Observer-Dispatch / October 30, 2019 Shutterstock (TNS) — Public safety officials from across the state met Tuesday to learn more about drones during the 2019 New York Unmanned Aircraft Systems Public Safety Fly-In at the New York State Preparedness Training Center.
We All Get to Go Home with Beth Moore (and Jesus)
When History Isn’t Helpful But The Holy Spirit Is This week across my newsfeed, clergy colleagues shared an article from 2018 entitled “Women Bishops Were Active in the Fifth Century.” Now of course, as an ordained woman utterly unqualified to be a bishop but with worldly ambitions, I eagerly clicked: And the article went on to claim: *pauses to wipe down computer screen from the coffee I just laugh-spit* Girl, you know they ain’t doing that.
Musical instrument drive a huge success
Sarah Condon scondon@uticaod.com Monday Sep 9, 2019 at 5:10 PM More than 100 musical instruments were donated Monday to Thomas R. Proctor High School. This effort was the culmination of a summer initiative to get instruments to Utica City School District students who are anxiously waiting to learn. "I've wanted to do this for many years," said Anthony Donaldson of the Disruption Network, a marketing and multi-media organization that led the drive.
What You Learned on Your Summer Vacation
You will be thankful for a small beautiful church in Carlsbad, New Mexico, playing “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” as you head back out into your smelly minivan with your chicken butt children. You will also regret not accepting their invitation to a Green Chili Potluck. But you are Southern and so you do not show up at potlucks without a side dish. And you do not know anything about how to cook with green chilis.
Stanley Theatre announces upcoming shows
By Sarah Condonscondon@uticaod.com Wednesday Jul 24, 2019 at 3:26 PM Jul 24, 2019 at 3:26 PM UTICA — The Stanley Theatre has announced a slate of shows and events scheduled as part of the theater's 2019-2020 season. The Stanley's future plans, along with scheduled upgrades for the theater and its finances, were announced with a news conference Wednesday. The theater will also host 10 dance competitions through 2020.
Lady Be Denemark fashion show raises funds for YWCA
By Sarah Condonscondon@uticaod.com Thursday Jun 13, 2019 at 4:23 PM Jun 13, 2019 at 4:23 PM Fashionistas, friends and locals gathered Thursday at DoubleTree by Hilton Utica for The Life, The Legend, The Lady Be Denemark Inaugural Fashion Show fundraiser to celebrate Benita "Be" Denemark. Denemark, who died in 2017 at the age of 94, owned Bev's of Downtown Utica, an upscale women's and children's boutique. "My mother shopped at Be's. My sister shopped at Be's. My wife ...
Hundreds support Go Red for Women campaign in Whitesboro
By Sarah Condonscondon@uticaod.com Wednesday May 1, 2019 at 4:17 PM May 1, 2019 at 4:18 PM WHITESBORO — Nearly 400 people gathered Wednesday at Hart's Hill Inn in Whitesboro for the Go Red for Women Luncheon. The Go Red for Women campaign brings together women to empower one another to help fight heart disease and stroke in women. "When you look at all of the red around this room, remember what it stands for.
A cut above
SARAH CONDON Monday Apr 15, 2019 at 8:59 PM Apr 15, 2019 at 9:00 PM UTICA — "They go above and beyond here," said Edwin Heath, a Vietnam War veteran, before getting a free haircut Monday at the Central New York Veteran's Outreach Center. "I think they have done a wondeful job of redoing everthing here." The Central New York Veteran's Outreach Center in Utica held offered free haircuts for veterans and their family members from noon to 4 p.m. Monday.
Students design wind turbines for challenge at SUNY Poly
SARAH CONDON Wednesday Apr 10, 2019 at 4:34 PM Apr 10, 2019 at 4:34 PM MARCY — More than 70 middle school and high school students from Oneida, Herkimer, Albany and Hamilton counties gathered Wednesday at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Marcy to showcase wind turbines they created for the KidWind Challenge. Students had to design and construct functional wind turbines and present them to judges.
Going Red in Rome to fight heart disease
By Sarah Condonscondon@uticaod.com Friday Feb 1, 2019 at 6:18 PM Feb 1, 2019 at 6:18 PM ROME — Crimson dresses, blazers, heels and handbags were adorned by women at the Rome Go Red for Women Luncheon at the Delta Lake Inn in Rome on Friday. "Heart disease kills one in three women," said Naomi Lynn of radio station Lite 98.7. "That's one third of mothers, sisters and friends. We can advocate for ourselves, our loved ones.
Luncheon honors MLK Jr., future leaders
SARAH CONDON Monday Jan 21, 2019 at 4:50 PM Jan 21, 2019 at 4:50 PM UTICA — Sub-zero temperatures couldn't keep guests away from the 35th Annual Mohawk Valley Frontiers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Luncheon held Monday at the Delta by Marriott hotel in Utica. The ballroom of people were welcomed with the National Anthem, an invocation, and introductions to the days honorees. The keynote speaker was state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
As Advent Approaches: Evil Is Well Organized
Last week at 3:00am, I sat straight up in bed and muttered the name “Jamal Khashoggi.” I do not watch the news. I was by no means following the story. Had you asked me the name of the journalist who was murdered in the Saudi consulate I would not have been able to tell you. And yet, there it was on my lips: Jamal Khashoggi. It took me a moment to figure out why I was suddenly thinking about a journalist from another country being murdered in a horrific way.
PHOTOS: Ziyara Shriners showcase FEZtival of Trees
By Sarah Condon Wednesday Nov 21, 2018 at 8:07 AM Nov 21, 2018 at 8:07 AM People visit the FEZtival of Trees, presented by the Ziyara Shriners on Tuesday at the Masonic Care Community of New York in Utica. The second annual event features themed trees and raffles to win gifts from local businesses. The display continues from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2 for adults. The display will be closed on Thanksgiving.
How a Comedian Helped Me Pray the Ghosts Away
The first time I remember being terrified of ghosts, my mother had taken me on a well-meaning bonding trip to Natchez, Mississippi. There, on the plantation home tours, the guide would allude to all of the Victorian-era blonde girls who kept making ghoulish appearances on the grand stairwell. Even as an 8-year-old I remember thinking, “Why is she telling me this? This is for sure going to haunt me later.” Windsor Ruins, Natchez, MS.
The Worry of Being Killed in Church and the Safety We Are Promised
The first time I remember thinking about what it would mean to die with my church, I was in a cabin in the piney woods of Texas. Our family was attending the annual retreat, and the weather was horrible. My husband and I both got texts sent to our phones that basically said, “There’s a tornado right over your head.
30 years later, Lockerbie victims still remembered
A group of Scottish first responders stopped in Marcy early Thursday morning as part of a cycling trip commemorating the 30th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988, killing all 259 people onboard. Another 11 people were killed on the ground by falling wreckage. Participants in the Cycle to Syracuse Lockerbie Memorial Tour were cycling from Washington, D.C., to Syracuse University.
Marital Contempt, Fargo the Miniseries, and One-Way Love
When my husband Josh and I were newly engaged we underwent a series of pre-marital counseling sessions with a therapist. While I wish I could tell you what I remember from that expensive experience, I cannot. We probably checked a mental box of “reassurance about us being okay” and moved on. Some weeks before our wedding, Josh’s bishop in Atlanta asked to meet with us. Years later, that meeting is something I consider on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
I Am Not Better Than John McCain: I Am Worse (and You Might Be Too)
Inevitably, when a figure who is much beloved by some–but not by all–dies, we are reminded of our opinion of that person. In our current cultural moment, this also means that by God we are going to share that opinion. In its most recent iteration, the death of Senator John McCain sparked an Opinion Fest not seen since the death of Billy Graham. If my newsfeed was any indicator, we wanted the world to know that we knew that John McCain had died.
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