Meet Tashara Angelle. We were in the middle of a fight.
Likely after another night of sleep deprivation from waking up with the new human that I’d just birthed 3 months before.
The fight was probably over something insignificant like how one of us forgot to program the coffee maker the night before.
We had not talked much all day, but on the way home I asked what he wanted for dinner. No apologies came with that request from my end.
“Probably Jason’s Deli is that what you were thinking,” he asked, again without an apology.
I picked up the Jason’s Deli and the fight continued for that evening and who knows how much longer.
Sure we were mad at each other and didn’t agree with what the other person did, but I love my husband enough to make sure that he eats.
Oh yeah, we eventually talked it out, apologized, and moved on, but at that moment, I remembered something a married friend told me years ago, about how unconditional love sometimes just looks like tolerance.
That still resonates with me today. It always has.
A little more about me!
I’m a pastor’s kid.
Probably not the kind you just pictured in your head just now. Not the “sneak out of the house at 15 and hang out with the wrong crowd all night to be rebellious” kind (though, I may have had one night of that at some point in my teenage years) I was more of the “get all A’s in school, take care of everyone around you, and never turn down someone who needs help even at your own expense” type which I eventually learned to find balance in.
Even though I spent several of my early formative years in a pretty strict, Christian environment, my parents made sure that it was always balanced out by teaching us hearty lessons on tolerance. Over the years, we had people who didn’t necessarily share our beliefs come and share our home while they were going through a rough time or getting back on their feet. We spent time visiting high-poverty communities and sharing food or prayer and actually talking to people of various religious beliefs who would come to our door working to win us over.
We spent time serving people in all types of situations and were taught to love them all. I’m so grateful that those years made me who I am today.
Hi, I’m Tashara Angelle and a native Austinite.
I grew up in East Austin and though I always thought I would move away, I ended up going to college at The University of Texas at Austin. Having grown up in East Austin when a significant amount of its residents were Black or Hispanic, attending UT with its huge majority of White students, even as a native Austinite was still a huge culture shock. It almost felt like moving away for school and definitely taught me a little more about the world! I started out as a business major and somewhere along the way, realized that my personality and chatty nature belonged in the School of Communications. I graduated with a B.S. in Public Relations, went on to work in politics at the state capitol as a media and legislative aide then being the talker that I am, moved on to become a classroom teacher. After several years in the classroom, I went for my master’s degree and principal certification, and I’m currently using that in my role as a district administrator working to positively impact the next generation.
Alongside my education work, I’m a freelance writer who helps write content for small businesses and I share thoughts on my personal blog at sundaysafterchurch.com.
I currently live in South Austin with my amazing husband and Jason’s deli fan Alvan, and our 10-month-old daughter! We are new parents and you can probably tell by the way we regularly forget to pack a diaper bag or a stroller. We can often be sighted using a stray t-shirt as a changing mat or creating a makeshift baby carrier! We got married and decided to become parents a little later than many of our friends, so adapting to bringing a child everywhere after over 30 years of not doing that has been an adjustment for sure. But I am loving every frantic minute of it! As a family, we spend as much time outside as we can and are frequent visitors to the green spaces and outdoor restaurants around Austin.
We both enjoy serving in our church where, pre-pandemic, I taught a class as part of our church’s Christian development program. Happy hours with good friends, chips and salsa, and sitting on the patio of a Mexican restaurant are my jam!
I enjoy having sincere conversations with people and sharing thoughts about things that matter. Where some steer clear, both politics and religion are my favorite things to discuss, especially when both parties come to the table with an open heart and mind. “Speaking the truth in love,” was something my dad, who has since passed away, lived by. Our family always approached conversations with that in mind.
As a new mom, there are so many things I am learning for the first time, and I’m keeping my heart open to accept wise advice from all the mothers who have gone before me. One thing I know for sure is that I will be raising my daughter to have a soft heart but thick skin, to love God and all people unconditionally, and that sometimes that looks like pausing in the middle of a fight to meet a need and bring home Jason’s Deli. I’m excited to share in this journey of motherhood with so many other strong and talented women.
~Tashara Angelle
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