Day 12: Article and Day 13: Book

I figured these two went together pretty well, so why not post together.  Both are in regards to reading that helped in my grief journey.

I have fallen in love with TED Talks over my business career.  I think they are interesting and extremely educational.  When I found this article, to find that it also had a TED Talk that talked about grief was pretty awesome.  The article itself also resonated

http://stillstandingmag.com/2013/06/pardon-my-grief/

The problem is that so many people just dismiss grief because it makes them uncomfortable.  As a result, I, as a grieving parent, am left uncomfortable when I tell you my baby died.  I understand people don't know what to say and that makes them uncomfortable.  But multiply that times 1,000,000 and that's about how uncomfortable I am.  Every second.  Every day.  365 days a year.

What's worse is people no longer talk to me.  They don't know how.  So they just don't.  That's worse.  It's the worst thing.  And just yet another grieving process I have to deal with.  Losing friends has probably been harder some days than the loss of my boys because I need them.  But I'm starting to learn that those that are really my friends haven't gone anywhere.  So for those that are still here.  Thank you and I love you.

Articles on Still Standing have shown me I'm not alone and given me a sense of feeling like someone else just GETS it.  I often wonder if I'm the only one...and by reading these articles, I know I'm not.

Books have been another release.  I actually have a hard time reading fiction now.  I've just not really been into reading at all.  So I turn to non-fiction.  Truly, I'll be honest, I read a lot of self-help books.  Books on my PCOS and health.  Books on adoption and raising adopted kids.  And grief books.

My favorite book so far has been Empty Cradle Broken Heart (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1555913024/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1381784165&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165).  Even Cam read it.  I felt like it shed so much light onto loss and understanding it.  And after multiple chemical pregnancies (early miscarriages), I had never felt like I could group miscarriage with my loss.  And although they are VERY different, the book also helped me see that type of loss as a loss, too.  I don't what else to say about the book, but I have gifted it to a couple of different friends who have lost since me and I know both of those friends have enjoyed it as well.  I would recommend it to anyone who has had a recent loss and plan to continue to gift it to friends and family who can benefit from it.

Reading...whether it's articles or books has helped me a lot.  Message boards have been another help.  Though I've stepped away from those some as it is too heartbreaking at times and brings back too many memories.  But I do have a small group of friends (though it seems to keep growing) that can relate and we connect on different levels.  That has been my biggest support.  Other moms who know what it's like.

Day 7: You Now

I'm not sure I could say that I'm grieving less...or feel better...or that life is great.  What I can say is that I've learned to appreciate life so much more.  To count my blessings and see the positive in every day.  But I still have bad days.  I still often cry.  Triggers still bring me to my knees...and there are so many triggers.  I try to face my fears, but sometimes even that is debilitating.  I feel drained after...like I've run a marathon.  I could sleep for hours those days.

And lately, I'm back to my coping mechanism...my knitting and crocheting.  I have to say, that was what got me through my days after the boys.  It was the only thing that distracted me enough to not breakdown every second of every day.  And I see the stress and frustration in myself as I am back into that pattern.  Where I'd rather sit at home and watch a movie and knit or crochet than to go out and visit friends or do anything else.  I always really have been a homebody...but I feel so much more inclined to stay home again.  It's not that I don't want to see friends, but I just don't feel the energy to go out and see people.  I don't know whether that's work related (it's been busy lately), or if it's the fact that now that I've hit the first year marks that I'm still circling...like before I hit the one year marks, I had something to look toward...hitting that...and now what?  IVF? Adoption?  Because neither of those induce stress or anxiety (insert sarcasm).

All I know is that I definitely do have more strong days than weak ones.  More days where I can feel myself smile rather than cry.  But it's still this battle every day not to cry.  Not to break down.  I still struggle seeing women pregnant.  Hearing pregnancy announcements.  Half the time I just want to scream.  Other times I just want to shake those women and say, pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but I think it's SO private.  It is wonderful, and believe me, I will be one of the first to say it will be hard not to yell it from the rooftops when I am pregnant again...but it hurts...and so many people don't understand how to be sensitive about it.  Whether that's around someone who has problems with fertility or someone who has lost a child.  Either way, it is SO important to know that others are fighting their battles and you don't know who is fighting one for what reasons.  Everyone has their own.  I just wish more people would understand that as excited as you are about your pregnancy, the person next to you may be wondering "why not me?" or "will that ever be me?"  And strangely...as I've said before...I struggle SO much more with pregnancy than I do with babies...and that's probably the biggest thing that has not changed.  People just don't appreciate the miracle of it.  *sigh*

So I guess I still have a lot of resentment and frustration.  And that's my weakness.  My biggest weakness.  I don't even know how to cope with it.  I've done the best I can and I really do keep my mouth shut about a lot of the things I'd like to say to people.  I guess that's my way of coping...to just bottle it in so as not to hurt people with my true thoughts.

Positive changes?  I've lost a lot more weight.  Made positive diet and exercise changes.  Been so much more active.  Weeded through the people in my life and chosen to keep in touch with those who can be as much my friend as I can be for them.  Eliminated the ones who make me feel worse rather than better.  And changed jobs to a place that I love going to work every day.  Where I feel challenged.  A job that will be the right fit when we do have a family.  I just know that so many things have happened that are good, too.  My life isn't all bad.  I just feel like I have had more challenges than most.  Someday, maybe, something in my life will come easy like it seems to for all the other lucky people in the world.  Someday I will feel like I am 100% fulfilled.  But until I get to hold, love, and raise my own child in this world, I know I won't be fulfilled.  I'm still searching for that one missing piece...honestly, I feel like that is ALL that is missing in my life at this point...though I know I will always miss my boys, I don't feel like I will be searching once I have that child in my arms...