A Lesson From Joseph

I have a lot of favorite stories and people from the Bible. It would be hard to pick my very favorite. Certainly living through infertility has made me grow very fond of people like Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Rachel, and Rebekah. But I also love to read about the life of Daniel, someone of great moral character whose life is a testament to faithfulness and obedience, and whom God used in such powerful ways. My husband's dear grandfather was named after him and he truly lived a life worthy of that name!

Another one of my favorite Biblical figures is Joseph (the one whose father was Jacob, not Mary's husband Joseph, although his is a remarkable story as well). Yesterday I read something really great over at the Desiring God blog about the life of Joseph. It is a fantastic post about how the circumstances we may be facing don't necessarily tell our whole story. I think it will speak to you as much as it did to me! I hope you'll take the time to click over and read the original post, called Staying Faithful When Things Get Worse.

Here is an excerpt from it. I hope it's just enough to draw you in so you'll click over for the rest of the story:

Darkness had swallowed the light again. Joseph dreaded the night in this foul Egyptian hellhole. It was hard to fight off the relentless hopelessness as he awaited the escape of sleep.

Day after monotonous day passed with no sign of change. The familiar desperation surged hot in his chest. His youth was seeping out the cracks of his cage. He was pacing in his soul. Joseph wanted to scream.

Fists to his forehead he pleaded again with God in the dark for deliverance.

And he remembered. It was the remembering that kept his hope alive and bitterness at bay...

Click HERE to read the rest.

Come back and leave me a comment about what you thought of the post after you read it. I'd love to know your thoughts!

Remember several years ago when Dream.Works released an animated film called Joseph: King of Dreams? I've always liked it, and I particularly love one of the songs featured in the movie during Joseph's time in prison. I was happy to find the clip to attach to this post and share with you. It's a great little song with a message that I always need to hear. Hope you enjoy it. I'll copy the lyrics for you below as well.



Better Than I

I thought I did what's right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
So I put up a fight
And told You how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear

You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I

If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing I don't know
Is part of getting through
I try to do what's best
And faith has made it easy
To see the best thing I can do
Is put my faith in You, for

You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
For You know better than I

I saw one cloud and thought it was the sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was You who taught that bird to fly
If I let you reach me
Will you teach me?

For You know better than I
You know the way
I've let go the need to know why
I'll take what answers You supply
You know better than I

Merry Christmas!

"O ye beneath life's crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow;

Look now, for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing;

Oh rest beside the weary road

And hear the angels sing."

(from It Came Upon A Midnight Clear)

Chuck and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! You are all so often in my thoughts and in my daily prayers. I know that the holidays can be particularly hard for those who are waiting for their children, for those who have experienced loss, and for all of those who are childless not by choice. I pray that we will all find peace and joy this Christmas season, even despite our circumstances.

With love and prayers,
Stacey

Maybe Someday

Well, our hopes for a successful first IUI are over. By Friday I was pretty sure that it would turn out to be negative, and Saturday the home pregnancy test I took confirmed my suspicions. I had decided that I would try to test again on Monday to be sure, but by last night I knew that today would be the start of a new cycle. No need to test again. I guess that is something positive about all of this; the turnaround is pretty quick. You can hit "reset" and start all over again in a matter of days. But sure, there's still disappointment.

I told myself that I would not freak out if this didn't work and I've partially kept up my end of the bargain. I did have a good cry late Saturday night, when I was still and quiet enough to let all of the worries and anxiety sink in. Okay, and I had another good cry today when I found out that my holiday plans with my family would be interrupted by this cycle's day 12 ultrasound. But ultimately, I'm okay. We had decided that we were going to commit to this no matter what day or season, so we are sticking to that plan. Fortunately, my family is very flexible and will work with us. I'm just a bit sad that some of our time together will be cut short.

So here we are. We're facing Christmas week with some disappointment but trying to hang on to joy in our hearts for the season. And we know we'll be okay. We've been through much harder things together, so we know that we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try this thing again.

And ultimately, we're still hoping that someday things will start to go our way. Maybe someday.

This song by Rob Thomas has really been speaking to me lately, and I wanted to share the lyrics with you here. (I know, I can hear just about any song right now and think it relates somehow to infertility!)
If I don't write again this week, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Someday (Rob Thomas)

You can go, you can start all over again
You could try to find a way to make another day go by
You can hide, hold all your feelings inside
You could try to carry on when all you wanna do is cry

And maybe someday we'll figure all this out
Try to put an end to all our doubt
And try to find a way to make things better now that
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow, someday

Now we wait and try to find another mistake
If you throw it all away then maybe you could change your mind
You can run, oh, and when everything is over and done
You could shine a little light on everything around you
Man, it's good to be someone

And maybe someday we'll figure all this out
Try to put an end to all our doubt
And try to find a way to make things better now that
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow, someday

And I don't wanna wait, I just wanna know
I just wanna hear you tell me so
Give it to me straight, tell it to me slow

'Cause maybe someday we'll figure all this out
We'll put an end to all our doubt
Try to find a way to just feel better now that
Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud
We'll be better off somehow, someday

'Cause sometimes we don't really notice
Just how good it can get
So maybe we should start all over
Start all over again

'80s Rock, Thankfulness, and a Giveaway

It's a strange title, I know, but I promise it's all going to come together by the end of this post. Keep reading!

Earlier this week I was so excited because my favorite band in the whole wide world released a new album. I've been waiting for the November 10th release date for months and months and it was finally here! That evening my dear husband picked up the new CD on his way home and delivered it into my eager hands.

I'm a child of the '80s. I was born in 1977, so most of my school years were spent in that glorious decade of big hair and rock-and-roll. Honestly, I've been a fan of Bon Jovi for almost as long as I can remember. I was about 9 years old when my sister and I bought our first Bon Jovi tape. We listened to it all the time, but it was with their next album, New Jersey (1988), that I became a true fan for life. I played that tape in my sister's Walkman until I knew every single word to every single song. It was four more years until they released another album, so I had plenty of time to memorize every line. One of the things I love most about this band is that they didn't die with the '80s. They released two more albums (not counting the greatest hits one) during my high school years in the early '90s, and the brand new CD is their sixth one in our current decade. I absolutely love these guys and the way that their sound has grown and evolved with the times. The music is different enough from their early days of synthesizer-heavy anthem rock to be current, yet it's still true to their original style.

Can you tell that I'm a fan? I am, people! If you haven't listened to Bon Jovi in a few years or twenty, give them another try. Their lyrics are positive and hopeful and the music still rocks. The new CD is called The Circle. I personally enjoy all of the songs on this particular album that deal with overcoming obstacles, like We Weren't Born to Follow, Thorn in my Side, and Happy Now. Check it out HERE or HERE.

We're changing topics now, but I'll come back to this later, I promise.

Sometime around the third or fourth week of October of every year, my house begins to look like an amazon-dot-com warehouse. It means that my Christmas shopping has begun! My husband and I save money here and there all year long so we can do our end-of-the-year gift giving. I got my first couple of brown boxes in the mail today and they were full of all kinds of surprises for our family and friends.

There was one little thing that I had ordered for myself because I just couldn't wait for Christmas. I don't know how many of you are familiar with The Pioneer Woman, but she has a fabulous blog that is chock full of the most delicious recipes you've ever tasted. I have tried three of the recipes from her blog in the past few months and I haven't been disappointed. In fact, I've been amazed! Here is a photo of my sister cooking the Pioneer Woman's pot roast at my house earlier this year:


The Pioneer Woman just published a beautiful new cookbook, which is the gift I gave to myself. I didn't just order one copy, though. I also bought one for my sis, on the grounds that she may even get it early if she's really, really good. Oh, and I bought a third copy to give as a Christmas gift to some lucky family member or friend.

Oh yes, and I bought a fourth copy... for YOU!

Because it's November and because I am so thankful for each and every one of my special bloggy pals (I really mean that), I'm doing my first-ever giveaway! And let me tell you that you don't want to miss this prize. The cookbook is amazing. I know you will love the beautiful photographs and the step-by-step instructions that this cookbook offers.

Now, I know you may be wondering what this has to do with '80s rock? Well, in order to enter for the random drawing, I want you to leave a comment telling me YOUR favorite song from the 1980s. I won't pick a winner based on your answers -- that's just for fun. The winner's name will be chosen completely at random. Leave one comment from today, November 13th, until midnight on November 17th. I'll announce the winner here on the blog AND in your email if you display an address on your blog profile. If you don't have an address displayed, I will also try to let you know via a comment on your blog. Don't forget to check back to see if you've won the cookbook! You'll be asked to email your name and address to me (staceysthoughts@gmail.com) so I can send it as soon as possible. I want you to have this lovely book in your hands before Thanksgiving arrives!

Just to clarify: I'm not giving away a Bon Jovi CD! I'm giving away a cookbook! :)

Okay, so let's hear your favorite '80s song. I think I might have to go with Bon Jovi's own Livin' on a Prayer. And it cracks me up that now, thanks to Rock Band on the Wii, my sweet little nephews love that song, too. They can sing every word! They know all about Tommy and Gina. :)

Now it's your turn. Ready, set, go!

Feeling Down

Holidays do funny things to me. Let me tell you, I'm a sucker for seasonal things. Here in Texas we don't exactly have all four seasons outside, but every year I'm determined to celebrate the season inside my home. I just love holidays. Even if no one (besides my husband and myself) ever saw the decorations, I would still decorate!

That's why this post is hard for me to write.

Lately I've noticed that it's getting harder and harder to conjure up those same old feelings of joy for holidays. I think with each passing year, the emptiness in my heart and in my home become harder to ignore.

Certainly there is joy and happiness and love in my heart and in my home. My husband and I are very happy with our marriage and in our little family of two. But there is a huge, unfulfilled desire that neither of us can ignore. We want children. We want to be parents. There is a void there for us both. There is an empty place in both of our hearts and in our home where our children should be. The holidays remind me of this.

Last week was so hard for me. I couldn't keep my eyes dry for very long, and it seemed that I was surrounded by a flood of emotions. The truth is, sometimes I struggle. Sometimes I feel like I don't do anything that makes a difference or amounts to much outside of these four walls. Sure, as a homemaker I have lots of responsibilities at home. I keep the house clean and the laundry done, on top of many other daily tasks. This is probably true for many people out there, but sometimes I don't feel needed. I don't feel necessary.

Oh, I imagine that there are parents who have those feelings, too. And sure, you can call it a pity party if you want. I'm just keeping it real and keeping it honest.

Halloween was just the very beginning of the whole holiday season. I don't recall ever being this affected by it in years past. Although I'm not necessarily a huge fan of Halloween in particular, I felt a huge absence this time. It was pretty quiet here. We spent the weekend with friends who were visiting. Our doorbell was rung only twice by trick-or-treaters that night. My sister sent photos of my adorable nephews dressed up in their costumes (they were a very handsome duo of Luigi and Wolverine). Countless friends posted pictures on Facebook of their cute little marauders. And I felt sad. Even in the days leading up to it, I felt so empty and so burdened by our situation.

Last Friday we went to see my two very favorite Christian artists, Bebo Norman and Jeremy Camp, in concert. It was a fairly small crowd and it was a special treat for me. We had great seats and it was a great show. I was particularly touched by the words to a couple of familiar Jeremy Camp songs that I've heard over and over again:

I still believe in Your faithfulness
I still believe in Your truth
I still believe in Your holy word
Even when I don't see, I still believe

and

I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

It truly was like a balm for my hurting heart, because I'll admit, right now I don't see. I cannot always see the big picture in this.

I know that the holidays are just getting started. I hope as the weeks pass and as my decorations change from autumn to winter, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, that we might begin to feel the excitement that usually comes with it. I hope that we'll focus on the many good things that have kept us happy and strong for all these years: our family, our friends, each other, and our hope and trust in our Lord.

Even when I don't see, I still believe.

For Those Who Wait

I heard a song recently that really spoke to where I am in my life right now. I have since learned that it is from the soundtrack of a movie I've heard of but haven't seen. I want to share the lyrics here for those of you who are still waiting.

But first you should know that I know what it's like to wait. Every new year is a reminder for me of just how long this wait has been. Maybe 2008 wasn't a great year for you. Maybe you had a lot of hopes and expectations for the year that just didn't pan out. I hope that if you had disappointments last year, you also had good times and made some great memories with people you love. I hope you've been able to find joy in your life even while you wait.

My sixth miscarriage happened in January of 2007. By January of 2008 we'd sought out a new doctor and had plenty of new tests run. I had just had surgery to take care of some scar tissue and mild endometriosis. We were given the all-clear to try again for another pregnancy a few months later. To make a long story short, the good news is that we did not add another loss in 2008. The bad news is that we did not have a pregnancy. For the first time since our first pregnancy in 2002, this year we were not able to get pregnant on our own. In all of the eight years that we've been trying to become parents, this is the longest time we've had to wait. Now it's January 2009 - two years since our last pregnancy.

Really though, it is eight years of waiting. Yes, there have been pregnancies, and they were all lives that we loved and cherished. But we still wait. We still don't get to be with our babies in the here and now. I want to tell you today that I know how hard it is to wait. I know that many of us wait for different things in our lives, so I feel certain that even those of you not living with infertility can relate to this song called While I'm Waiting by John Waller. I've copied these lyrics from this website http://www.christianmusicreview.org/johnwaller_lyrics.html along with the artist's explanation for writing the song. (Also, you can purchase the song on iTunes, or check it out on John Waller's CD The Blessing.) I want this to be my anthem for the new year.

While I’m Waiting
Psalm 5:3, 27:14, 33:20, 37:7, 38:15, 40:1, Isaiah 30:18, Lamentations 3:24
John Waller

"The explanation for this song is simple, I was waiting on God and I was hurting when I wrote the lyrics. I probably wouldn’t have written a song if my friend, Mike, hadn’t encouraged me to document what I was going through during that time. I’m sure there are few people who can’t relate to this song, but the important thing to remember while we’re waiting on God is to not just wait but to actively wait. Serve, worship and be faithful with what you have, where you are… even while (you) wait.”

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

© 2007 Travelin’ Zoo Music (ASCAP) (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing)

Christmas Joy

I tried to put this post off another couple of weeks but, in the tradition of my family at Christmas, I just couldn't wait (am I right, Connie?). Yesterday I officially started my Christmas decorating! I've talked before about how sometimes the holidays are hard, and I know many of you can relate to that. Today I'd like to take a step back from infertility for a while and focus on the things I love about the holidays. I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving - I love it too and can't wait for the celebrations next week. But today I'm in a Christmas mood, so here we go!

My Top Five favorite things about Christmas:


1. The music and movies.
Every year I can't wait to get out my Christmas CDs. A few of my can't-live-without favorites are Elvis Presley (of course), Harry Connick, Jr., and Aaron Neville. Some new favorites include Bebo Norman, Third Day, and Josh Groban. I love Christmas carols, and hearing my old favorites gets me so excited for the season.
You might think my favorite Christmas movies are It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. Nah. My pick, hands down, is The Muppet Christmas Carol. I love that movie! It's funny, sweet, and sentimental, and it stars such great actors as Michael Caine and Kermit the Frog. How can you go wrong? I also enjoy watching Little Women (the one from 1994) and Home Alone 1 & 2 this time of year.

2. The decorations.
Is there anyone who doesn't love Christmas decorations? I love the lights, the ornaments, the nativity scenes, the garland, the candles, all of it! Yesterday I attempted to make a garland for the fireplace mantle for the first time. Normally I just throw some plain green garland up there and go with it. I like to decorate but I get intimidated by plain, prominent, flat surfaces. I never know what to put up on the mantle. I have mantle issues. This post at Nesting Place motivated me to try something new. A trip to Michaels and about 3 hours later my husband and I came up with this:

I'm really happy with it but it did not exactly come naturally to me! Tonight we are putting up our tree and hopefully we will decorate the outside of the house this weekend. When do you decorate for Christmas? This is a bit early for us, but since we will be gone a lot we wanted to have time to enjoy it.

3. The mail.

I have always loved getting mail. I e-mail a lot but I still love sending and receiving snail mail. My Christmas cards are all in a stack, waiting to be addressed and stamped. I try to get them out every year by the first week of December. I absolutely love getting everybody's family photos and updates each year.

4. The time with family and friends.

Of course you guessed I'd say that. For 12 years now Chuck and I have been spending Christmases driving all over Louisiana to see our family and friends. We load up our car with gifts and luggage, leaving just enough room for our two bodies to fit, and away we go! We love our family Christmas celebrations. We have our own traditions on each side of the family: Christmas Eve candlelight service at our old church and Christmas Day at my in-laws', breakfast casserole, homemade Chex mix and lots of other goodies; My family piled up in Mom's living room, the joy on my nephews' faces when we arrive, and tearing into presents!

5. The best gift of all.

I've saved the best for last. The best thing about Christmas is that beautiful and perfect gift from God to all of us, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel, God with us! I hope you're celebrating Him at Christmas and all year long!

Happy Holidays!

What a Friend

I have been really struggling lately to work on my prayer life. Sometimes when I'm faced with a painful circumstance I tend to clam up and try my very best to get through it alone. I don't want to do that. We have the amazing ability to give our burdens to Jesus and talk to God directly in prayer, even if we don't always choose to do it. He wants to be a part of our happy times and our sad times. When I've been neglecting Him for a while there comes a time when I feel Him calling me back. I'm learning to rely fully on God but I still need reminders. I guess I'm stubborn like that.

The other day I heard a familiar hymn at church. Do you love old hymns as much as I do? I also love to hear the stories behind why they were written. What a Friend We Have in Jesus was written in 1855 by Joseph M. Scriven. He wrote the song specifically for his mother, "to comfort her in a time of special sorrow." Scriven had certainly known grief and loss in his life, leaving his homeland of Ireland to immigrate to Canada. Later he lost his fiancee just before they were supposed to be married. His hymn is so positive and sweet, you might never know it was born out of tragedy. It reminds us over and over again to take everything to the Lord in prayer.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

Asking Why

Evacuating for a hurricane this week gave me an opportunity to listen to my iPod in the car for 13 hours round-trip. I have lots of playlists and am always thinking of a new way to organize my music into categories. I love to listen to music in the car and it's great when I know just which playlist I'm in the mood to hear.

I love songs that are genuine and honest, telling the truth about life and hardships and the ups and downs of the Christian walk. I can probably count on one hand the songs that I know of personally that I would put into this category. That's why I love artists like Caedmon's Call, Jeremy Camp, and Bebo Norman. And a few years ago the song Never Alone by BarlowGirl blew me away with its amazing reminder about trusting in what you know about God instead of the feelings that come along with circumstances.

For yesterday's trip home I selected the playlist that should be labeled "Comfort Songs." I got to thinking about a song from Rich Mullins' album The Jesus Record, which was released after the singer/songwriter's untimely death in 1997. The album is a two-disc set, with the first disc consisting of nine demos roughly recorded by Mullins in a church just a few days before he died. In my opinion, Rich Mullins was one of the first to write songs that were truly about Christianity. True Christianity - helping the poor and needy, the widows, the orphans, and living out our faith every single day.

Hard To Get is one of those songs that stops me in my tracks. It's like a prayer to God spoken by someone who is hurting. (I won't print the entire lyrics here but you can find them at this link.) It asks some hard questions and I like that. Does God really hear our prayers? Does he know how we feel? I remember when my own prayers were guarded by my fear of offending God by letting Him know how angry or hurt I was. How wonderful when I realized that He already knows how I'm feeling! I might as well be honest about it and tell Him. He knows my anger, fears, worries, and hurts. And because of Jesus, He understands them. He knows what it's like to be human.

There are so many gems within the song, and I'll mention the ones that speak to me the most. In my own life, and especially since being confronted with infertility and recurrent miscarriage, I get overwhelmed with the WHY. Why, God? Why me? I begin to think if I only knew a reason why, I could deal with it so much better. Mullins writes in the song, "And I know it would not hurt any less even if it could be explained," and I realize that's true. If I knew why, would it hurt any less? No. Even if I had a detailed explanation from God about why this is happening, it wouldn't hurt any less. I am not able to forget the pain of loss. It would definitely still hurt. Maybe that doesn't sound like a benefit but it does help me to work on letting go of the need to know why, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike as well.

To me, the best line of the song is this one:

I can't see how You're leading me
unless You've led me here
Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led

That's exactly where I need to be. Lost enough to let myself be led. When I can't see how God is leading me, that's where trust becomes crucial. I know that He is leading, even if I don't see how.

Finally, thanks again to all of you who prayed for us during this hurricane. We got home yesterday to find that the house is ok! We still have lots of debris to clean up out of the yard, but we only have damage to our fence, shed, and roof (we lost a bunch of shingles, but no water got in the house). We are so thankful to be home and to have electricity. We know that many are still without. Please keep those in your prayers in the coming weeks.

Being Anxious for Nothing

... is easier said than done. Some days worry and anxiety feel so heavy that it's literally like having a weight on my chest. The past couple of days have been that way for me. Strangely enough, it has had little to do with the threat of hurricane season (not that that isn't worrisome). It has been the kind of week where multiple little things have added up to create a giant mound of anxiety. Things that I know I shouldn't let bother me have found a way to sneak in and wreak havoc on my otherwise peaceful life. People's responses and reactions to my situation, and the insensitivity of some have really gotten me down lately. I know that these are human reactions and that they aren't uncommon. Still, I'm embarrassed to admit it. It's not part of my good side. I've got to confess, though, that I'm struggling.

I often turn to God's Word when I'm feeling this way. I wish I could say that I "always" do, but that just wouldn't be true. Thankfully some of these verses are tucked away in my heart and are there when I don't even think to search for them. For example, Philippians 4:6 (NASB) is one I've had memorized for years: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." That's an excellent reminder for me. I like practical advice. Today, however, I came across a new verse that was like a breath of fresh air. It spoke to exactly what I was feeling. "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." Proverbs 12:25 (NIV). What I need, then, as a cure for this heavy, anxious heart, is a kind word!

Isn't it true that sometimes when we feel like a total failure, when it's like we're stuck in a rut and can't seem to gain any traction, or when we feel like giving up, that a kind word can be so helpful? No, it won't change my situation. But it can help change my attitude. Knowing that someone is out there who genuinely cares, who sees me for who I am outside of infertility yet doesn't pretend that it's not there can make a huge difference. I probably sound pretty needy right now. But let me tell you what a positive difference it makes for me when my husband wakes up in the middle of the night to keep me company when my mind is racing and I can't sleep. Or when a friend makes contact and allows me to take my mind off of my troubles for a while. What a difference, and all because of a kind word.

I'm not a very poetic person. I write like I think, which is pretty darn practical. There's a song that says what I'm thinking, though, called Borrow Mine by one of my favorite artists Bebo Norman. I'll leave you with the lyrics. Let us not forget about those we know who are hurting today.

Take my hand and walk with me a while
Cause it seems your smile has left you
And don't give in, when you fall apart
And your broken heart has failed you
I'll set a light up
On a hilltop
To show you my love
For this world to see

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine
When you can't go on
'Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine

Take my love when all that you can see
Is the raging sea all around us
And don't give up 'cause I'm not letting go
And the God we know will not fail us
We'll lay it all down
As we call out
Sweet Savior
help our unbelief

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine
When you can't go on
'Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine

When you are weak
Unable to speak
You are not alone
The God who has saved us
Will never forsake us
he's coming to take us
Take us to our home

You can borrow mine
When your hope is gone
Borrow mine
When you can't go on
'Cause the world will not defeat you
When we're side by side
When your faith is hard to find
When your faith is hard to find
You can borrow mine

Take my hand
Take my love
Don't give in
Don't give up