Recently I was asked to share my call story with some young people in the church. Because in my professional life I usually write stories about others, it was a fun exercise to spend time reflecting on the course of my life, my faith and my sense of vocation. Oftentimes I choose to blog about myContinue reading “My call story”
Marriage after baby
“So… what’s your marriage like now?” I remember asking friends after they had babies. Since we became a family of three, I’m finding the answer to this question isn’t easy to distill into a soundbite. It’s better as a story . . . On our first date after Jack was born, my husbnd I tryContinue reading “Marriage after baby”
Fear and great love
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” ―Frederick Buechner If we were having coffee right now, I’d tell you the emotion I’ve been battling most lately is fear. Fear is an uncomfortable emotion to harbor: Fear tells us we are weak and insignificant. Fear makes us believe are powerless.Continue reading “Fear and great love”
Ashes to ashes
Valentine’s Day: here we are writing love notes/smelling roses/eating candy and then we hear about another senseless school shooting. The news shakes us. It breaks us. It reminds us we are but dust, and to dust we shall return. Our parents, our friends, our children — dust. We are so hungry for good news… andContinue reading “Ashes to ashes”
The wonder of one
Jack, today is your first birthday. One year ago your daddy and I were on our way to Lutheran General Hospital so I could give birth to you. (You were in my tummy, but you decided it was time to come out!) At 8:05 p.m., when you finally took your first breath, we cried tearsContinue reading “The wonder of one”
A note to myself, before I became a mama
Jack’s first birthday falls at end of this month. The thought of this had me sobbing hard in bed last week while he slept peacefully in his room. (This seemed strangely ironic, given our sleep struggles.) Many of the courageous, creative mamas I follow have written notes to their pre-mom selves that IContinue reading “A note to myself, before I became a mama”
Highs, lows of 2017 + my 2018 intention
Happy New Year! As I write this, I’m hiding out in my bedroom while my husband entertains our 11-month-old. I have my laptop, my coffee, a cozy blanket and snuggly dog, and I’m feeling especially grateful to be indoors on this chilly day in the city. It’s heavenly. It’s been pretty quiet on this blogContinue reading “Highs, lows of 2017 + my 2018 intention”
Making peace with my post-baby body
It happened on a Tuesday morning. I stepped on the scale and it there it was, the number I’d been longing for—my pre-baby weight. Seven months had passed and finally all 50 (yes, 50…) pounds I’d gained via pregnancy were gone. This moment I’d built up in my head, this goal achieved felt strangely anticlimactic.Continue reading “Making peace with my post-baby body”
Six months and counting
One of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin, has this expression she often uses: “The days are long, but the years are short.” This idea has always resonated with me, but after six months as a new parent, it holds new meaning. Just a month ago my days began at 2 a.m. for a feeding andContinue reading “Six months and counting”
From boyfriend to husband to father
The fathers we know and love have back stories, lives that were once free of the weight of parenthood. Before bedtime routines and bottles of milk and early morning wake ups, there were probably more late nights out with friends, bottles of beer and lazy Saturday mornings spent sleeping in (the same could be saidContinue reading “From boyfriend to husband to father”
Erin Strybis 