Impermanence and stability... will post again with more pictures...but it's time to get this out.

Here we are at the start of 2023 and the Errickson family has not written since the start of the academic year. Perhaps its fitting; our year usually begins in August, and then we get this wonderful, sometimes-restorative break. As the years go on, however, these winter breaks take on a new urgency to see as many people, spend as much quality time with some family, lament that we don’t see the rest of the family, catch up on doctor’s appointments, eat at our favorite restaurants, visit our favorite haunts.

Between aging and moving, this winter break often bursts with expectations– like, it literally ruptures. I mean, it’s the holidays– so, isn’t this always the way?

We flew into and out of Pittsburgh and spent most of our break with my family. My mom’s been struggling with an ileostomy bag and advanced dementia/alzheimers this fall. Some of you know this from my sister– Libby’s– posts. Our goal was to be present and alleviate some of Dad and Lib’s responsibilities. We didn’t see many other friends or family, so we’ll hope to connect again. This trip was particularly difficult as Paul had been a finalist for the Head of Middle School at Shady Side Academy this fall. If you know Paul, you know how seriously and lovingly he takes schools, in particular those messy middle school students. In many ways, the position felt perfect and the school is located a mile from my parents. Paul was authentic and honest, and I use these sentences to say how proud I am of him. Too often we don’t expose those near misses, and I think that it is important to acknowledge what we all know– that life is not romantic.

Paul and I have worked to be comfortable with a certain level of impermanence; we’ve adventured somewhat. We want our children to be adventurous and strong, and the truth of it is that we– like all humans– crave certainty. I want to be able to help my parents and my sister. Paul wishes his were still around. I want my kids to feel stable and happy. I’ve been reading Pema Chodron’s The Places that Scare You, and she comments “everything is in process. Everything– every tree, every blade of grass, all animals…buildings, the animate and the inanimate–is always changing moment to moment. …Yet at the level of personal experience, we resist this basic fact. It means there’s loss as well as gain. And we don’t like that” (18). Paul heard that he didn’t get the job two days before we flew home– a loss–, so it took us all a bit to enjoy the ‘burgh.

We found our feet, however, and celebrated our 20th anniversary. It goes without saying that we are lucky. Twenty years is a long time, and we’ve two delightful (sometimes) girls who are challenging themselves every day, whether or not they like it.

Phoebe continues to play on her Polish soccer team, Diamonds Academy but it’s hard, and she sometimes struggles to get herself out the door, overwhelmed by feeling disconnected from the team. She is enjoying grade 9. If you ask me, her favorite class is Language and Literature as her teacher (me) inspires her daily to take responsibility for her learning. We were able to get to Buffalo for a few days and Phoebe saw her close friends and stayed in Eliza Roach’s room (one of her mentors and favorite people).

Despite the storm, we made it to the suburbs on the 27th to stay with Lisa Koessler who had just housed 18 people because of the storm. She made it down to see her family in Ellicottville and her houseguests got power back in time for us to arrive. Two days later, we went to the city. The snow was melting rapidly, yet most city streets had just one lane plowed. Buffalonians were reeling from the wind and the loss of life. Everyone that we spoke to was trying to wrap their arms around how intense it had been only to melt within one week. Everyone had their own Blizzard story to tell.

Reed caught up with her favorite Buffalo twins (Avery and Ryan) and a bunch of friends from her old school after passing her driver's permit test! While she cannot drive in Poland, no doubt we can sneak her into some parking lots and then work with her this summer! She and her sister got to get into their old rooms in Buffalo when we visited our renters. They, too, were reeling from the storm (what a time to move to Buffalo), but they seem to be settling into the house.

We laughed lots with friends, ate at Coles, got cashew noodles from the Co-op, drank Thin-Man Beer, visited with our favorite hair stylist; and still, there are so many folks who we did not see– so many stories and struggles that we did not hear. If you fall under that list, please know that we care about you all and we miss you!

School starts tomorrow, January 9th. We got back about 48 hours ago and are all working to catch up on sleep. We are glad to be back to our home where the owners stayed for Christmas and left us wonderful gifts upon our return. Poland is a beautiful place to be and, despite the cold, folks are out walking constantly. And, ASW is a wonderful school; we honestly work with the best people.

Reed traveled to Krakow and Munich this fall for Cross Country and participated in the musical, Les Miserables. The ASW soccer team (Phoebe and Paul) headed to Budapest and Bucharest. Phoebe was also involved in the musical, focusing on costuming and helping her sister dress backstage. I am now coaching both girls on the swim team. Sports take place three days a week, activities two; it’s a good model for students and allows for a wider variety of involvement.

Warsaw is still full of lights as it gets dark at about 3:55 right now. The days will get longer and brighter, and we are happy to feel permanence for the next year and a half. We have a comfortable pull out couch for visitors, and Chase is a superb snuggler (just ask all of our Ukrainian friends). We will continue to travel, build relationships, support our kids, and send love from afar.

Some of the Lang and Lit students will read Maggie Smith's "Rain, New Year's Eve " tomorrow, so I'll leave you with her final couplets:

Let me love the cold rain's plinking. Let me love the world the way I love my young son, not only when he cups my face in his sticky hands, but when, roughhousing, he accidentally splits my lip. Let me love the world like a mother. Let me be tender when it lets me down.

Let me listen to the rain's one note and hear a beginner's song.

Wishing you all love and light as 2023 gets underway. May we all listen for beginnings.