Home for the Holidays
The holiday season is upon us and Thanksgiving is in a few
days. Soon, our homes will smell of cinnamon, spice, and everything nice. The
laughter of family members that we don’t get to see that often, ring through
our halls. Some of us are decorating Christmas trees and eating gingerbread
cookies. We stay up all night telling stories of holidays past. And, if you’re
like my family, your voice leaves you by the end of the week because you’ve had
that much fun.
But, for those of us are who are on the journey to
fertility, the holidays can bring on so much anxiety and depression that we
dread the days to come. It’s not the holidays, themselves, that bring on these
feelings of sadness, it’s the questions that come along with them. We all have
those well-meaning family members that want to know when you’re going to add a
bouncing bundle of joy to your brood. Most times, your family isn’t trying to
cause you pain, they are just curious. But their curiosity is at the root of
your heartache. Sometimes, the reason they are asking is because they haven’t
been invited on your journey with you.
We have allowed guilt and shame to get the best of us and we
are silently struggling on our journey alone. We may have our spouses but there
are some of us who haven’t even dared to tell our loving families what we’re
going through. Their persistent questions around the holiday table aren’t
trying to cause you pain. One of the greatest things we did was to let our
immediate family know where we stood on our journey. In the past, we shared
with them that we weren’t ready to entertain any medical options to add to our
family. They were able to pray for our hearts to be healed and for God to give
us the desires of our hearts. They could join with us when we couldn’t stop the
tears from flowing and they could encourage us when we couldn’t seem to
encourage ourselves. Was it easy to open one of the most intimate and painful
parts of our lives? No. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves
those who are crushed in spirit.
Could it be that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted by
sending those that we love the most to help mend our spirits? I know how
difficult it is to answer questions about what should come naturally to you. I
understand it’s hard to tell someone that your cradle is still empty. I can
relate to the pain that comes along with the questions you’re being asked. But
there is so much freedom in you being transparent. Of course, you can’t trust
your journey with everyone but that also doesn’t mean you can’t share it with
anyone.
You see, the enemy wants you to keep your struggles a secret
so that you can never be encouraged. People can’t cheer you on in a race they
don’t know you’re running. There are some of us that haven’t shared our fears
with our spouses, let alone the rest of our family members. It’s not just us
that are struggling with the questions and inquiries that are made by those we
love. We have to keep in mind that everyone is waiting for something, believing
God for something. If we could take the time to inspire and uplift one another
during times like this, imagine what holiday celebrations could become!
Instead of a time that we approach with fear, dread, and
anxiety the holidays should be the time that we look forward to with tiptoed
anticipation and excitement. A time where we can be surrounded by those that
love us and are praying for us along our journey. Some of those people are even
making the journey with us.
With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott
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