National Infertility Awareness Week

There's a little train park not too far from us that I love to take Isla to. She could ride the little "tooo-tooo" around the park all day if I would let her. Isla is not one to sit still and as much as I encourage her to sit on the bench or my lap as the train makes it's way around the track, she would much rather be standing and waving to everyone we pass by. As the train makes it's way back to the station though, it passes through a long tunnel. Isla always gets excited when the engineer blows the whistle as we prepare to enter the tunnel. As you enter the tunnel, the wooden slats that make up the sides let in a little light and it's still fun and exciting for Isla. But then as we venture a little further in, the sides change from wood to cinderblock and the tunnel gets darker and darker the further we go until there is no light at all. This is about the time that I can feel little hands make their way to my knees and Isla tries to climb into my lap. Of course, as soon as she gets into my lap, we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and she's back on the floor ready to wave to everyone waiting at the station. The complete darkness doesn't last long and we've been on enough train rides to know that it ends, but still in her mind that darkness is scary and she still isn't sure there is an end to the tunnel.

Life is so much like this tunnel. No matter how many times we've been through trials, even the same trials, it really is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And sometimes we really can't see it because it's simply too long of a tunnel and it's still going to be a while before we get there. This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. It's an exciting week for us especially because we are participating in the Footsteps for Fertility 5k in Boise this weekend and we're hoping to win one of their fertility grants to use this summer! I'm so nervous since we will be participating with so many teams but I am still excited that we have the opportunity to participate in such a great event.
Win or lose, we will officially begin our next in vitro cycle in June! A fresh cycle and a fresh start! I am so excited, anxious, nervous, worried, happy, scared, hopeful, and almost every other emotion you can think of. Even though we have been through this before, a few times, I still have to tell myself that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I know that in the beginning, just like the light shimmering through the wooden slats, it's easier to be hopeful. The darkness that comes with infertility is still there but so is the light and the hope. It's easy to get lost in the darkness though, when the cinderblocks fill in, the tunnel gets longer, and the darkness takes over the light. When there's a delay in your schedule, a cycle fails, or a long awaited pregnancy doesn't end with a baby, it's easy to feel like you won't ever see that light again. We have to remember that the light is always there, even when we can't see it though. Always remember that everything is ok in the end, if it's not ok, it's not the end. HAPPY NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK!


PS-- All of the photos in this post were not created by me and do not belong to me... I'm not that crafty or creative, they were all found on pinterest. And sorry to have so many quotes but I feel like there's no such thing as overboard when it comes to hope and inspiration! You can find more of these cute pictures and download them from these sites:
All Things Bright and Beautiful and My Computer is My Canvas