We are right in the middle of National Adoption Month, so if any of you are considering adoption, it’s the perfect time to get active and pursue this avenue to parenthood! Not only am I an advocate of adoption, but I can’t think of ANYONE whom I know of personally who has adopted, that ISN’T! I can honestly say that the adoptive parents that I know firsthand, including many friends, are all in agreement as it being the best thing they’ve ever done in their lives!

Yes, I know it sounds odd for me to say that 100% of them are happy and thrilled about their adoption choice, afterall, nothing ever seems to be 100%…but it’s the truth! Now that isn’t to say that there weren’t some unusual circumstances for some of these folks along the way that caused some stress and fear but when all was said and done, and they were finally with their babies, the results were all the same…complete joy and a feeling of love unlike any other.

In the latest newsletter from A Labor of Love Adoptions, they make note of many ways to help promote adoption awareness. These are just three of the many ideas they had:

• Buy a few children’s adoption books and donate them to your local library or school.

• Share with adopted children the positive aspects of adoption and tell them the names of famous people that are adopted. Make note of their accomplishments and how special they are.

• Honor your birthmothers by sending a card of thanks and remember them in your prayers.

Yes, we MUST take a moment out this month to thank God for our amazing birthmoms that had given us our incredible gifts of motherhood…for these tremendous sacrifices they made.

And I also want to share with you a writing that was sent to me recently.

“Legacy of an Adopted Child”.

Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call mother.
Two different lives that came together to make yours one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.
The first gave you life, and the second taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, and the second was there to give it.

One gave you nationality, the other gave you a name
One gave you the seed of talent, the other gave you an aim.
One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears.
One gave you up — it was all that she could do.
The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me through your tears,
the age old questions through the years…
Heredity or environment — which are you the product of?
Neither, my dear sweet darling, neither,
Just two different kinds of love.

I wish you all a smooth journey to motherhood…whatever way you choose to go. But if you are considering adoption, please look into A Labor of Love Adoptions. You can find their link and number on our site. They will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and I can think of no one more capable, nor more wonderful than Tina Tyra to refer you to. Call them today, and let me know how your journey unfolds.

I have had people write to me regarding Shola Oslo and whether or not I knew of anyone personally who had had success with her methods, her ‘natural fertility cures’. And I’ve mentioned in the past that I have NOT known anyone personally; however, I’ve had a few women email me saying that they HAVE had success with the FertilPlus supplements and a few also crediting the changes they’ve made in their lifestyles, as suggested by Shola, (especially when it came to going completely organic in the foods they ate). Whether or not the change to organic intake had contributed greatly to their success of conceiving is unknown, though they felt in their hearts it was a serious factor in their success.

In the past two years I have had the honor and privilege to speak with you about some of the most detailed, personal events in my life…those regarding my struggle to motherhood…and those surrounding the whole protracted ordeal. I have had the best time interviewing the most amazing guests, sharing THEIR most intimate details of THEIR journeys to motherhood. And I’ve made great friends with some of you ’sisters’ along the way.

I am hopeful that I have helped in my sharing and my sincere caring. If I could wish one thing, it would be that each and every one of our struggling ’sisters’ who had listened at one point or another, had walked away with a sense of hope, and a sense of connection…an added dose of strength and courage to carry on…to go the distance, doing whatever needed done to get to their dreams. For this is one journey that can feel quite scary, quite dark, quite lonely…and we can feel quite powerless throughout it all. But we have a supportive ’sisterhood’, and we can help each other tremendously.

However, due to myriad personal reasons, (all good I might add), I have been forced to make a decision about this podcast…one that has tugged greatly on my heartstrings. At this time, I am putting a halt to the audio portion of this show, but the 50 shows will remain for review. You can still listen to them all as you had been able to do before.

I’ve spoken many times on this show about having a ‘knowing’. And I suppose I knew a time would come where, in my heart, I would ‘know’ that I must move on, and allow my personal journey of infertility lay to rest. In some ways, speaking about it on a regular basis, may not allow one to completely heal and put it in the past. I don’t know. For the most part, I felt this was a therapeutic journey for me, as well as greatly rewarding. But as of late, I was beginning to feel that now it might be best to let it rest for a while.

I DID, however, feel that I had accomplished what I had set out to do….touch ’sisters’ and help in their journeys…with the exception of K, whose suicide effected me deeply. Of course, there unfortunately will always be more and more ’sisters’ out there that are in need of good words, prayer and hope to cling to, for this demon called infertility doesn’t seem like it’s going to leave this earth anytime soon.

I will continue to post blogs, and welcome any of you to post on this site as well. Any new information or success stories or wonderful words of encouragement that come my way I will gladly forward on to you through this blog format. It’s not to say that I won’t produce an actual audio broadcast here and there, but for now I will be putting that aside.

I welcome you to write to me any time with your updates, your questions and, of course, your celebrations…the celebrations of your final destinations…your realizations of motherhood. And I will continue to pray for you all, and yes, for all my special mentions on the show. We have had many miracles come to women on our poetic prayer chain, and we know there will be many more to report.

Thank you deeply for all you’ve given to me and to this podcast. Please know that I am still here for you, and remain with you in spirit each and every day. I love you all.

I want to let you all know that I am a guest blogger on Mom’s Talk Network! Please go to the link below to check it out! There are many amazing women that contribute! You’ll want to keep this site in your ‘favorites’ and keep up with all the good information and stories the mommy bloggers are blogging about! Thanks in advance for checking this out. The subject is Motherhood Lessons, and I am honored to be a guest!

http://www.momstalknetwork.com/resources/motherhood-lessons-2/791/

Welcome to our 50th show! Yes! 50 big ones!!! And I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to share the magnificent stories and helpful information with all of our amazing guests and listeners these past 50 shows. It has been a great joy and honor to be your host, and we have a different kind of sharing format for you today!

First of all, I just HAD to talk a little bit about Shola Oslo again, as there is some amazing news regarding women in their 50’s becoming pregnant…even a 59 year old!…who had used the herbal supplement that she promotes, FertilPlus. Though I personally have no experience with it, the results they are now claiming seem to be something worth looking into further…especially if you want to leave no stone unturned when it comes to conceiving on your own.

And I’m also thrilled to have some of our ’sisters’ onboard, who have called in to share a word or two with us in celebration of this, our 50th show! Thank you, everyone, for making this a worthwhile cause and mission for me. You have a place deep within my heart, and I love you all.

The music featured in this episode is titled Acoustic Guitar by Pl@stic Soul, courtesy of Podsafe Music Network. 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Whenever I had to deal with depression, anxiety and frustration throughout my journey, I would wake up each day to the realization that I was STILL going through this hell. And even after 9 1/2 + years I STILL couldn’t believe I was in this dark and miserable situation. But one of the things that helped me when I had to wake up and face each day, was to find music that hit a chord deep within me that charged me up and brightened my spirits…as bright as they possibly could be.

Well, I recently came across a new kind of music by accident. I was watching Jack’s Big Music Show on Noggin with Hailey Rose and this band came on that blew me away. The music not only put me into an insanely good mood instantaneously…but it made me get up and dance around the living room. Hailey Rose said, “Mummy, what are you doing?!” I said, “I’m dancing!” And SHE said, “Ok.” I couldn’t sit still if I tried! It was AWESOME! Afterwards I said to Hailey Rose, “Wow! They were MAGNIFICENT, weren’t they!?” And she looked at me and said, “Yes, Mummy. They were” and continued to eat her cereal.

Well, listeners! They call themselves Nuttin’ But Strings. They are two young brothers that play violins and have created a music that marries classical with rap that is unlike anything you’ve ever heard! I believe they could be YOUR new music, to pick you up and make you dance whenever you feel down and out. I also caught them on the show, America’s Got Talent. Their music makes me feel alive, happy and unstoppable…ways we strive desperately to feel again, when we are seeming unable to, in the midst of infertility. Maybe this music will help and do the same for you!

You can find a sampling of Nuttin But Strings at this link.

The coolness of Fall is slowly creeping in, and today Hailey Rose said to me, “Mummy, I’m chilly. Come close to me, because you are my best cuddle friend.” Sometimes the words that come out of her mouth leave me breathless. This was one of those times. And it made me step back and take a moment to recall the dream of this child, the dream of a sweet scenerio such as this…and yet another type of chill that had swept throughout me for close to a decade, while feeling the cold isolation of infertility. ‘But look at us now’, I thought. How far this journey has taken me!

On this, our 48th show, we feel the warmth and sincerity from our guest, Melissa, through her beautiful story and her sharing heart. Now Melissa felt that she would be able to find a peace somehow, even if motherhood never came to her, even though she so deeply desired children. But she didn’t have to cross that bridge. Some of us, however, aren’t quite as accepting. And so we do our best to press onward, leaving no stone unturned, doing whatever crazy thing it takes. And that’s ok. We all do what each of us HAS to do…however we have to do it.

You can’t face infertility without those brutal moments of hell, but we are here to tell you that your hell CAN be turned into your Heaven, and you WILL realize this strong desire that is so deeply seeded within your soul. The key here: you must NEVER give up. Melissa believes we are ALL given some sort of season(s) of suffering. But it’s up to US to choose whether we will come out of those seasons bitter or better.

So take a listen to Part 2, the conclusion, of Melissa’s journey to motherhood and how it has transformed her life.

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Some of you were unable to read the article published in Stepping Stones Magazine.  So since you asked, here it is.  Thank you for the interest.

I found myself unusually early for a dental appointment last Spring. Early is really not my style, so I decided to stop in at Starbucks, which is only two doors away. I ordered my usual carmel apple cider and had a seat. I pulled out my planner, so as to take advantage of the ‘bonus’ time I found myself having. At the table next to me, there sat a woman who looked rather sad. I didn’t mean to stare at her, as she was staring aimlessly into the traffic and hustling people passing by, but I kept finding myself watching her on and off throughout the following 10 minutes. She finally seemed to re-enter reality from her entranced fixation out the window, and she caught my eye. I gave her a big smile. She smiled meekishly back at me, while wiping a tear from her cheek. I mouthed to her, “are you ok”? And she began to cry.

September is one of my favorite months. As Summer winds down, I hope you are having beautiful days, as this new season saunters in. Hopefully, this will be YOUR season…the one you’ve been waiting for…the season of your dreams coming to fruition.

We have a guest with us today, on this, our 47th show, that shares her journey to motherhood. Her name is Melissa, and she tells us of how she had an underlying ‘knowing’ deep within her, very early on, that she would have difficulty conceiving. She talks about the various avenues she had taken and what unexpected turn of events she encountered along the way.

Melissa, like so many women, had been declared unable to conceive for ‘unknown reasons’. One of the most interesting points I find in her story, is that she found out exactly what the cause of her infertility was…but she only found that out once she went through invitro. This is Part 1 in the story of Melissa…another ’sister’ that you can learn from and be inspired by, as YOU continue onward to YOUR baby.

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After my much needed mental ‘time-out’, I am happy to feel refreshed, renewed and ready to pick up the pieces.  I can only hope and pray that K’s family (who was mentioned in the previous posting) can eventually do the same.  The untimely tragic death of this ’sister’ put me into a tailspin of sadness and grief that I hadn’t felt in quite a while.  But she will be remembered dearly, and sorely missed.

I believe many of us, if not most, have found ourselves almost as desperate as K was.  Though it must take incredible courage to do what she did…it takes much, much more to carry on. You ’sisters’ are warriors…true heros.  When you think you can’t face another day on this infertility path, you find it within your deepest self to wake up that next day, and carry on.  Sometimes those days become weeks, those weeks become months and those months become years.  And, with some of us, those years become a decade (or longer).  It is rough, to say the least.  But we can lean on each other as we journey onward.

We need to give this ’sisterhood’ of ours, a name.  Because it (and we) truly deserve one.  But it must be a title with a positive tone.  If any of you have any suggestions, please send them my way.  Shelley Sykes had called us the ‘chosen’.  Maybe we could be ‘The Sisterhood of The Chosen’…or… ’The Chosen Sisterhood’.  What do you think?  Let me know.  Whatever we call ourselves, remember to pat yourself on the back daily for what you are enduring.  And try, please do try, to find beauty and joy in the little things every single day…and especially in yourself.