A Scarlet Letter

Today is not a happy day. I'll warn you now that this may not be a good day to read. There will be some things that are hard to 'hear' but I'm in a pissy mood.
Someone who also went through what I did asked what my mc's took from me.
I hadn't really thought of it before then. I had only really thought of what I had gained from it.
A stronger marriage- if we could survive that, we could get through anything.
A feeling of being stronger- because after it was all over, even though I had my moments, I still got up everyday. I still took care of what needed to be taken care of. I didn't give up.
I became more determined- not just to have a baby but in everything. Now when I hear can't, I have to. I've had too much 'can't'. I need some 'can'. (Gee, that sounds kind of bad!)
For what I lost.........
I guess my naivete. Some of my faith in things that true and just.
In a perfect and just world, babies don't die. Babies are born on time and in perfect health. They grow into children in perfect health. They become adults and have children of their own. They bury their parents, not the other way around. In a world where things are as they should be, a parent would never know what it feels like to touch tiny fingers only one time and then have to carry that memory and that memory alone with them, in their unwhole heart for the rest of their lives. A parent would count those fingers and toes and kiss them and have them wiggle back from being tickled. In the world that I wish was true, a parent would never go to the Dr and find that their baby was no longer there, no matter how far along they were.But it isn't that way. Tragedy strikes at the very moment when you should be able to breathe. The moment you should be at your very happiest.There is no way to know why. Different people will offer different opinons as to what they believe but really, we just don't know why. I think that makes it even more horrible. We like the rhyme and reason to life and sometimes it just isn't there. There is no justification, no understanding. It's hard to say that 'it is what it is', but ... well, it is what it is.Losing a child turns your world upside down. Suddenly everything you believed, everything you knew, it's gone. And when suddenly your world stops spinning and tossing you around, you have to try to find your feet again. It's like being spun around so fast and for so long and you're so dizzy then someone says "Ok, walk straight." Because no matter how much we'd like it to be different, people don't want to hear about it. You are working through the most horrific time in your life, but you aren't allowed to talk about it. You're walking around with this big scarlet letter on your forehead and everyone around you pretends they don't see it. They know it's there so they avoid looking you in the eye and all you want to do is scream. "Look at me! I'm still here!"
I know some people think that infertility is the 'thing that dare not speak it's name'. But I think a lot of the stigma has been taken away. By people talking about it, writing books and most recently, a new show. NBC started airing Inconceivable this season. I'm reserving judgement since it's only aired twice. I know that things will be exaggerated for a dramatic effect. Point is, it's no longer a secret.
But not so for those walking in my shoes.
My experience took away my ability to be completely secure in myself. I walk around and see the people I love look at me differently. Like I'm somehow less because my body failed me at the time I needed it most.
I know I'm going off on a tangent, but I warned you I was in a pissy mood. A friend of mine had to put on my shoes today and I feel terribly for her. I'd very much like to throw those shoes in molten lava.
I wish that I could make things better for her.
Today just sucks.

Tagged

Nk got me and I've been putting it off because, well, I don't know. I like to procastinate sometimes.

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.

I can't believe I have 23 posts!

Huh. My 23rd post didn't have 5 sentences. It was my "I'm an idiot. How do you link other blogs?" post. And I'm still an idiot because I still can't figure it out. I suck.

As for tagging 5 people. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. Or just pretend that you didn't read it. I won't tell.