Author: Crystal

Just a woman on a journey...grateful to have God by my side!

Thankful Thursday – And an Attitude Adjustment

God showed me today that I’ve been harboring an ungrateful attitude. Instead of letting go of the little things that bother me, I’ve been clinging to them and blowing them out of proportion. It’s difficult to receive an attitude adjustment…but God knows what I need, and always does what’s best for me.

So I figured it would be good to focus on some things that I’m thankful for. This way I can hopefully kick the ungratefulness to the curb. Here are a few things that I’m specifically thankful for today.

  1. The calming sound of the rain as it waters the earth. We’ve been getting a lot of rain along with thunder and lightning recently. Although I don’t enjoy when I have to go outside during a downpour, I do like listening to the steady rain on our rooftop when I’m trying to fall asleep at night.
  2. Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and other celebrations of life. Although I’m not a big fan of parties, it’s still nice to celebrate important milestones with friends and family.
  3. Books. Enough said.
  4. Coffee. Not much to add to that, either.
  5. A husband who works very hard to provide for our family. Even though he’s not crazy about his jobs, Roy shows up each day and does the best that he can.
  6. The vacation we were able to take. It’s not often that we get a lot of time together to just relax…but our trip to Virginia was a needed break, and we’re grateful to God for it.
  7. That God sees us and knows us completely and still loves us just the same.
  8. Good memories. It’s nice to reminisce with loved ones about stories from the past. The memories can even spur you on towards the future.
  9. Nature. Flowers, trees, raindrops, insects, clouds, and sunrises/sunsets are just a few. Nature inspires me.
  10. Prayer warriors. I’m so thankful for people who lift me up in prayer. When I’m weak, I know that others are helping to carry my burdens to the Lord.

Thank you so much for reading. 🙂 What is something that you are thankful for today? ❤

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

Blessings in Traffic Jams and Other Trials

I spent most of today on the road or in a time of waiting. Not the most pleasant of circumstances, but it could most definitely be worse…and there were still positive things to be learned.

My husband, Roy, and I drove to the fertility doctor’s office in separate cars early this morning to prepare for an IUI (IntraUterine Insemination) procedure. It’s a little bit of a trek and there was a good amount of traffic, but we made it there safely for our seventh IUI. Roy had his appointment and then headed off to work, and I drove to a close-by Dunkin’ for a few hours until my appointment times.

When I went in to the office for my ultrasound, I was hopeful that I had released so that the timing for the IUI procedure would coincide. But my body didn’t cooperate. They had me get blood drawn to try to see where my levels were. Then they went ahead and performed the IUI, hoping I would ovulate soon.

The procedure went well, thank the Lord. But my body still needed to catch up. They told me to return later in the afternoon to repeat the ultrasound, so they could confirm that I had released. So I headed home to eat and to check on our pets.

When I returned to the office in the afternoon the traffic was worse. This is normal I’m sure, but I don’t drive a lot, so it had me stressed out. I was getting frustrated and in a negative mindset. But God would help me with that soon.

At the office they performed a second ultrasound…and I still hadn’t released. This was discouraging, as I felt like the IUI procedure would be wasted. But the nurse talked with me and explained that she was convinced I would ovulate in the next few hours and that the IUI could still be effective.

On the drive home I listened to the radio to counteract the stress from traffic, and a song played that I hadn’t heard in a while – it’s called “Blessings,” by Laura Story. The chorus goes like this:

“What if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise”

I began to realize that the traffic jams and the waiting and the fact that my body didn’t seem to be cooperating were not just annoyances – they were blessings, and they had a purpose. It took hearing that song to remind me that God was working in me through these traffic jams and other trials, and that I could let go and receive whatever came from His loving hands.

Maybe you’re going through trials of your own today. How can you see them as blessings instead of as burdens? ❤

Photo by Sonja Guina on Unsplash

A Needed Vacation and A New Cycle

The last month or so has had a lot of ups and downs.

We had a negative pregnancy test after our last cycle. It was difficult to take, as we had tried so hard to do everything we could with the many injections, other medications, and all of the ultrasounds and blood drawings. It just wasn’t God’s time.

But last week we were able to take a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia for our 7th Anniversary. It was a good time to relax, explore, and recuperate. We visited Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Shenandoah National Park – and enjoyed ourselves at each spot. We’re very grateful to God for this much needed vacation.

Now we’re home and adjusting to the norm again. It’s good to be back with our pets and in our regular environment.

We were going to take a break from from fertility testing this cycle and try to prepare for IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) next cycle…but after thought and prayer we’re leaning toward trying two more IUI (IntraUterine Insemination) cycles first. These next two cycles are important, as the percentage rates for conceiving on the 7th and 8th cycles increase noticeably. We’ll see what happens!

Please pray with us that if we need the extra help of donated medications – as we did last cycle – that they will be available to us again.

With all that’s going on, I’m trying my best to remain grateful to God and hopeful for the future. There’s so much uncertainty in life – but thankfully it’s not uncertain to our all-knowing God!

Thank you for reading, and we hope that you are doing well. We’d love to hear what’s going on in your lives in the Comments section below. God bless you! ❤

The Featured Image was taken by me along Skyline Drive at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.