Wednesday, December 19, 2012

An Island

Sometimes, all I wish for is an island.  No, I don't even care if it's, like, a subdivision or something.  Someplace where you have to be screened by me to "get in, " to live there.  And your way in is to be someone who has suffered a loss such as ours, and have compassion, and empathy.
And you understand me.
The funny thing is, I'm so serious.  I joke with my bff Bree, who lives across the country from me, "Come have lunch with me!".  But...I'm not joking.  I would give ANYTHING to have her come have lunch with me.
As the Christmas cards arrive at my house, my husband will ask, "Who is that, again?" and more often than not, it seems, I say, "One of my online friends."  And he'll be in awe...she lives in California? And she sent you a Christmas card?  It's adorable.  He's always been supportive and I love him for that.
I love how I can see on each card, whether explicit or not, a little shout-out to everyone's babies that are no longer with us.  I love how I KNOW I could send them a card mentioning Sophie and Aiden and they would not blink an eye.

As I navigate this pregnancy after loss, the second one, I wish for that unconditional understanding.  I wish to be around people that know what to say, to ask, and what to leave out.  The barrage of questioning...the looks of confusion when I say that I've had both a c-section and a vaginal birth, actually (what is she talking about? their looks says).  The way people just shut down if I dare mention this is my THIRD pregnancy, not my second.  Even the freaking medical professionals. 

Oh, and in our island, our compound, I know there are enough of us in each profession.  So our nurses would be a loss survivor, too.  Our teachers.  Our insurance salesmen.  So you NEVER have to explain, to stutter, to elaborate.

Sometimes, pretending to be "normal" is just so tiring.  Pretending that what the person just said to you doesn't sting gets old. 

Having to constantly say things like, "I know how blessed I am.  I am so grateful.  I'm so lucky to be a mom" when some days you feel SO beat down, just by normal life and no matter if these things are true (which they so are) sometimes you don't even feel like you have the right to complain or vent (which is, really because you DO know how blessed you are no matter what).

I dream of living in a little subdivision where everywhere I went I would see reminders of our beautiful babies, the ones we lost, and have my babies play with the ones that got to stay.

6 comments:

Amy L. said...

I would love to join you. This is my first pregnancy after the loss of my twins, and I'm sick of people trying to blow rainbows up my hiney, as if this pregnancy is 100% guaranteed to "work", and that it will somehow erase the heartache and broken dreams from our lives. I hate it!

Bree said...

Love it. So get it. Ill be there. xo

Anonymous said...

Let me know when Ifville is up and running so we can move in! :)
Happy Holidays to you all

Lori said...

I'm in. And, I'll have slumber parties on a weekly basis where we can watch movies that other people view one way and we know differently, we can talk about the difference between being pessimists (which we aren't) and realists (which we know we are) and we can actually talk about how hard it is to try to get pregnant, to be pregnant, to deliver, to parent and to mourn while being grateful at the same time.

And there will be lots of cake.
Thick frosting.
And wine.

Lots of it.
xoxoxo

Unknown said...

Stay positive all the things happen for a reason be strong for what comes to us!
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