Erin Strybis

Gratitude list, November 2022

for naptime, blessed naptime, a moment of peace amidst rhe chaos of Legos & crayons & rounds of Uno…

First blush

All summer she basked // in the sun. // Now the days are dwindling . . .

Our world

I would like to create a home
in which there are rarely any messes
but that seems impossible
given the fact that children live here…

Growth in this season doesn’t look like I thought it would. Sometimes growth is a giant leap, a trust fall into the unknown. Other times, it’s incremental, a series of small steps taken again and again. Growth is showing up to the path, putting one foot in front of the other, falling into bed atContinue reading “On growth”

To ride on his own

And on this splendid summer day, a boy learned to ride his bike. He zoomed down the alley while…

Howl

I stare out at the graveyard we pass daily on our commute home from preschool and try to make sense of this moment. Miles away in Uvalde, Texas, there are moms and dads who won’t pick up their children from school tonight.

Time to fly

Last Wednesday, I bid farewell to a job I loved. It was my dream job, the job that combined my passion for words with my deepest held beliefs, a job that rattled and refined that faith, a job where I encountered the Divine in the voices of others. It was more than a job, itContinue reading “Time to fly”

Where I’ve prayed (an incomplete list)

At the foot of Hart Lake, wisps of breath swirling in the alpine air, marveling at the breadth of sky and pines and Cascade Mountains, feeling so small, feeling the expansiveness of God’s presence; In the Chapel of the Resurrection for 10 p.m. worship, surrounded by classmates, basking in the glow of candlelight, singing “JesusContinue reading “Where I’ve prayed (an incomplete list)”

Adam Richard: A redemptive birth story

I fastened my hospital-issued smock and hefted my achy body onto the bed. Machines hummed. The smell of disinfectant permeated the air. A Christmas morning kind of excitement buzzed inside of me. Today was the day! After 39 weeks, we were going to meet our second child. A fierce kick jabbed my belly. I lookedContinue reading “Adam Richard: A redemptive birth story”