Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Busy Day

I had a busy day.  Today, Annie from Cradles and Grave, The Elusive Embryo and I met for lunch today.  It was a last minute get together for fellow IF bloggers in the Twin Cities, MN area.   We had a nice time, just chatting, exchanging stories and experiences, and even networked for jobs!  But all in all, it was just a nice feeling to be around people that can relate to each other about the infertility struggle even though our stories and journeys are so different.  Annie even gave us gifts - pomegranate jelly, a symbol of fertility!  Thanks Annie!

I did a quick research on pomegranate.   According to wikipedia, in Judaism, pomegranate is a symbol of righteousness, because it is said to have 613 seeds which corresponds with the 613 commandments of the Torah.  It is also a symbol of fruitfulness.  To the Greeks, pomegranate is a symbol of abundance, fertility and good luck.  In Christianity, the fruit, once broken, it is a symbol of Jesus' suffering and resurrection.  In Hinduism, the fruit symbolizes prosperity and fertility.  In Vietnam, the pomegranate flower is the symbol of summer.  Since the pomegranate has such symbolism to fertility in so many cultures, we must be on to something right?  I'm gonna be stocking up on pomegranate juice too.

K, friend of a friend, emailed me this morning asking if I am part of a Christian infertility support group that was meeting tonight.  I attended this group almost 3 years ago but had stopped attending after a couple of meetings.  It used to meet every Tuesday night and it conflicted with another meeting I had on Tuesday nights, so I stopped going.  However I am still on the mailing list.  K noticed my name and asked if I was going tonight.  I had not planned on going just because I have not been attending for so long.  Plus back then, my Babe was not keen on going, and most people there were couples.  However, since K was going for the first time, and my Tuesday night commitments were taking a hiatus for the summer, I decided at the last minute I would attend too.

I was so glad I did.  I met some new and very fun people.  It was very casual, and it was so easy to just be honest and talk about stuff "normal" people would probably be uncomfortable about.  We had some a lot of laughs, and also some discussions from a bible study on infertility.

One of the couples were just starting to consider adoption when I was there last, and now they have a 2-year-old son that was adopted.  They had an earlier adoption that fell through because the birth father wanted custody after the baby had been in their home for 7 days.  It was a devastating time for them.  Another couple there had just started considering adoption when I was there last, and now, they have been "in the books" (waiting to be contacted by a birth mom) for 2 years.  One lady, the last time we met, she had just adopted a baby boy from Ethiopia and 6 weeks after she got home, she found out she was pregnant.  Her baby is not 2 1/2 years old.  The others that were there were mostly women without their husbands.

The group used to meet weekly, but many couples have moved on to either having babies of their own, or have gone on to pursue adoption.  So they decided to split the group up into 2, one focusing on infertility, and the other focusing on adoption.  So now the infertility group only meets once a month.  Who knows, someday I may even attend the adoption group.  Even when the meeting was officially over, people hung around just to chat and get to know each other.  I left the meeting feeling really great, so I am planning on going back next month.

12 comments:

  1. Good to hear that you liked the meeting. I bet it was nice to be in a room full of people who could relate. I hope the meetings will help.

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  2. I'm glad the meeting went well and you felt good about it. I am a little afraid of those types of meetings for very selfish reasons... that I'll feel even more alone while others get their babies and I don't. :(

    Oh, and I love pomegranates. :) Growing up. We always had a tu b'shvat seder at my synagogue. Pomegranates were part of the seder, because of their unique seeds. (or at least that was how my juvenile mind always understood it. LOL) I wish they were easier to eat, but maybe that's part of the pleasure.

    ICLW

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  3. So glad to hear the meeting went well!! And that's so interesting about the pomegranates...I love them, the seeds, the juice, love it!! Guess I need to stock up!

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  4. WOW! It looks like you are gaining support from all kinds of people and sources! I think I am going to get myself some pomegranates too! Even putting a few in a bowl as a centerpiece is so nice as I enjoy the color moreso than eating them!

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  5. Meeting fellow IF bloggers is always a special treat! I have been able to meet two of my friends in person and hope to meet more. It is great to have that support and that real-life connection. I'm also glad you returned to the support group and had such a positive experience!

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  6. I have yet to ever meet a fellow IF blogger irl, but I really hope to someday.

    The symbolism of the pomegranate is incredible... If I were talented in that way, I would love to create jewelery to use as a fundraising item to help those raising money for their procedures or adoption.

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  7. Right on. Sounds like a great group. Great blog, can't wait to read more. I'm your newest follower from IComLeavWe.

    -K
    http://mypottyseat.blogspot.com/

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  8. I would like to find some kind of necklace or bracelet with a pomegranate or something symbolic of infertility. Maybe that's weird to want to publicize it, but for the past year or so I have just really felt like it's a battle scar of sorts. I'm not prideful of it, but I want people to be aware.

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  9. It's great that the group will be better for you this time around. Enjoy!

    ICLW
    http://daega99-arewethereyet.blogspot.com/

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  10. I'm so glad we were able to meet at the support group. I really like it and hope to go to more meetings in the future. Maybe we can do lunch sometime..and invite a few other girls that were there. Take care!

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  11. Thanks for the interesting info on the symbolism of pomegranates!

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  12. Cool info, thanks for sharing! Found your blog along the way and enjoy. Praying for all my infertile blogger friends... may He guide your next steps :) Sarah

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