If you had asked Reid one word to describe me back in the heyday of our infertility and miscarriage issues, I would imagine he would say “private”. As in EXTREMELY PRIVATE. Poor guy.

Unless you were my best friend, my doctor, or my husband, I probably had a smile plastered to my face and wasn’t diving into all our issues with you.

I can’t tell you how many times I used the phrase “I don’t want anyone to know” when chatting about a recent loss, procedure, or desperate prayer that we were sending up.

I don’t think that I am alone in this way of thinking. Actually, I know that I am not. Infertility is lonely and heartbreaking. It is difficult to talk about, and as women, we end up holding it all in and struggling on our own. “I don’t want anyone to know”. I get it!

It wasn’t until I finally decided to blow the doors off my story and start this blog, that I realized how sharing my story was such a KEY to survival! We all rise by lifting others, and our own scars can be someone else’s signs of hope!

Over the past six weeks, I have met a handful of women that have shared their stories with me and expressed their joy in being able to get their thoughts off their chest. They, too, once felt alone in this journey. But, they now see the beauty in sharing their stories.

One woman was originally from Peru, and we randomly met on the beach in Laguna when our children became fast friends. Such a God thing! Her heartbreak, her hope . . . same as mine.

As I have shared my story over the last two years, it has become very evident that I am not alone. I never was. My not wanting anyone to know only served to keep me alone on an island and heartbroken on a daily basis.

By sharing my story, I have been able to heal and have been able to offer a hand to those currently walking the road of infertility and loss. My mountain of a story . . . the eleven pregnancies, the multiple failed procedures, the heartbreak, and the joy . . . is able to help others.

If my story can do that, don’t you think yours can as well?

If you have walked the road of infertility and loss, share your story. Either with me, the Lunchbox Babies community, friends or family. Be a light for someone’s journey, and let them know they are not alone.

If you are currently walking the road of infertility and loss, reach out to me! You’ve got this. Let me shine some light on that hope for you.

My sweet family of four. It is how we were meant to be. But, there heartbreak and loneliness on the journey to get to this joy. Love my crew!

Don’t walk this road alone. Share your stories. And, love your people.

XO