Don't Ignore Your Own Strength NIAW

Its that time of year again, can you believe its already been a year? Yes its National Infertility Awareness Week. The theme this year is don't ignore. One of their suggestions hit a particular chord with me and I'd like to address it.
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Don't Ignore Your Own Strength!

Over the past few years dealing with our struggle with infertility I have come to find out that many people in my life are affected by infertility. And as a fellow blogger stated many of us start this journey not knowing that we have a war to fight before we can get to the end. 
We naively started our journey knowing that we had a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year, our hopes were high and we weren't really worried when a few months passed. By 11 months I was getting concerned, and by 13 months I was very concerned when friends were getting pregnant the first month they tried. But we pushed through it, went to doctors, were given Clomid to try, and regained some hope. Then the disappointment and worry started again, we still weren't getting pregnant. Were we really so terrible that we couldn't be trusted as parents? Then the unimaginable happened I was pregnant! No drugs, no doctors, just us the two of us, we just made it happen! Then our dreams came crushing down only weeks later when we realized that baby wasn't meant to be.
Now, having been given drugs then taken off of them, being diagnosed with PCOS and told that our biggest hope will lie in getting surgery, we are still pushing forward. Yes I have had breakdowns, yes I have asked  begged and pleaded with God to please make it all stop while being a crumpled piece of myself the old me would never recognize.  Thinking "I am weak why would I be given a trial so incredibly hard as this one?" But somehow I'm still here, I'm still me, yes a different version of me, (possibly a new improved version of me? either way I'm still me, ) I still have hope and I wont give up!
This is a strength we all have, did I know three years ago that  I was strong enough to go through this? NO! In fact I remember talking to a friend about how our biggest fears were that we wouldn't be able to become parents. Well SURPRISE we (Shawn and I) get to deal with it. Do I feel in a way I have become a better person because of it? Absolutely! I am by far more sensitive to others and their needs. I also feel like this has been placed in our path so we can be a strength for others traveling down this mine filled road.
I've learned that we should NEVER look at a persons struggles and act as if they are blowing things out of proportion or that their "struggles" aren't worthy of being called such. Never is it ok to blow someone off who comes to you in desperation to deal with their own trials. It is however ALWAYS ok to help them draw upon their own strength. We all have an unimaginable strength that we can find deep inside ourselves, don't ignore it! Let it help you, sometimes that strength is all we have to pull us through day by day. If its not infertility you are dealing with chances are there is something else in your life that is a struggle. You can make it through, you are great enough to conquer it, you can do it! Don't ignore your strength!


if you have any questions about infertility don't be afraid to ask or visit

• http://www.resolve.org/infertility101  (Basic understanding of the disease of infertility.)
• http://www.resolve.org/national-infertility-awareness-week/about.html (About NIAW)