Friday, October 2, 2009

The Blessing of a Journey Shared

It's October. How I love autumn.

The days have just begun to cool off here. The mornings are chilly enough to cause my DH to put on a long-sleeved fleece pullover (although he'll continue to wear shorts in the house through the winter). He even went to the store to buy me a canister of instant hot chocolate that I keep in a drawer at work.

The season changes. Time marches on. Where has it gone?

I started this blog in April. It's been six months.

So much has happened.

I've met wonderful blog-sisters. How you've changed and enriched my life!

I've followed your cycles. Your lives. Your successes. Your losses.

I learned an entire dictionary of IF terms and abbreviations (I still remember wondering for the longest time what "AF" was and one day it finally dawned on me).

I forged my own way through a cycle, only to be sorely disappointed when it was cancelled. You were there to console and help me keep going.

I went on to have a successful cycle. And here we are, 16 weeks later, and I'm listening to my baby's heartbeat daily.

I tried my hand at growing my first garden. We watched as those skinny green legs first sprouted from the dirt, then grew into full fledged plants. They leafed out, they bloomed, they fruited. The remnants of those plants have now been plowed under.

I struggled with worries about a new pregnancy.

I waited and watched and hoped and prayed and listened as each of you traveled your own journey.

And I think of each of you now, and where you are in your lives. Some have had their babies. Some are about to. Some are pregnant and half way or more through their pregnancies. Some are newly pregnant. Some are waiting to start a cycle. Some are just waiting. One had 2 beautiful embies transferred TODAY (congratulations, EB!). Some may be deciding whether to keep trying at all.

But wherever we are, geographically, in our lives, in our cycles, in our pregnancies, in our hopes, in our wonderings, in our concerns....we continue to be together. Bound by these experiences we have chosen to share with each other. And we continue to return, on a regular basis, because each of us has found that what we give and what we receive in this blogworld, is something precious and wonderful and irreplaceable.

The kindness of a friend. Support, understanding, acceptance and encouragement without judgment. The knowledge that we are not alone, that we are cared for, that someone is thinking about us and wishing us well. That people worry about us.

These are the real treasures of life.

So as the leaves turn color and begin to drift earthward, I consider all of these things and send a silent prayer of gratitude and joy into the universe. Thank you all for sharing your journey with me.

13 comments:

Alex P said...

Awe inspired.

Lorraine said...

You are such a sweetie!

looking4#3 said...

So beautifully written and the feelings are totally mutual. But, you know that already.

Isn't this the weekend with your friends?? The "Coming Out" party?? Please keep us updated on how that goes. I am sure everything will be fine and your friends are going to be over joyed!!! Can't wait to hear all about it.

Eb said...

What a lovely post. Really made me stop and think.
There is something wonderful about the connections we make.
And hearing your baby' heartbeat daily. Wow. how cool is that.
Thanks for the shout out!!
EB

just me, dawn said...

i am amazed how time is so short and yet so timeless...only 6 months i have been reading you? already 6 months? how are both possible? happy you have the daily HBs, soon you will be the daily movement and it is so very amazing. love sharing the journey with you.

cindyhoo2 said...

Beautifully stated and so true!

Anonymous said...

Thank YOU for sharing your journey with us! You have such an amazing ability to put your feelings and experiences into wonderfully written and compelling words. Your blog is a treasure that I hold near and dear to my heart because of that. I always get excited when your blog shows up in my reader and I anticipate for the brief moment after I click on it and wait for it to come up. I wonder what BWUB has been up to, what thought provoking topic she'll offer up today? It really is such a blessing to have the comfort and companionship of women who have walked the same path as you and can relate to your thoughts, feelings and experiences. I will be forever thankful that your blog is a part of my infertility experience. Thank you for sharing it with us!

K said...

What a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing and writing, in the way that you do. This process we're in, seems horrific at times. It's a joy to have bloggy friends like you to help pick up where the IRL ones fail.

Mad Hatter said...

I love this so much - I feel the same way...For me, these relationships have become equally important to my IRL relationships. I feel like I know my blog sisters, and you know me, in a very deep way, and I feel so honoured to be part of your life. Thank you for your wonderful friendship, Besty dear! It means the world to me!
Love,
Maddy

stillhopeful said...

What a beautiful post. Thanks for putting it into words so eloquently! It feels like we're in it together, and what a great feeling, when the IF journey can make you feel so lonely. And then the fears we have during pregnancy are not easily understood by people who haven't been through what we've been through. It's great to have people who "get it" share this piece of our lives with us!

anofferingoflove said...

beautiful post. sending ♥♥ back at'cha!

Riley said...

Thanks for this post - it brought tears to my eyes and truly helped me appreciate you and all the other wonderful women in our blogosphere who are taking this journey together and providing such invaluable support to one another along the way.

tireegal68 said...

What a beautiful post. Wow - you got a lot done on six months! Productive in many ways. When do you tell peeps at work? Are you showing more now? I love autumn too but wish we went straight from Autumn to spring!