Maintaining hope during a fertility journey can be a challenge, even more so during the holidays. It is easy to wish this season brought better news, different results, or, of course, a baby. Trying to make a place in your heart for both grief and joy, both hope and defeat is something that takes more effort than one might think.
This holiday season, I challenge those of you still waiting for your miracle (or experiencing a different trial of your own), to find a source of hope in your celebrations. It doesn't have to be anything big or extravagant. It just needs to be something that makes your heart smile for just a moment.
My small moment of hope is all about the plate and mug pictured here. When I moved out years ago, my mom gave me some of our old Christmas decor and this Santa plate was my favorite piece. I have such fond memories of my brother and I picking out which cookies to put on the plate and how many carrots to leave for the reindeer. Then in the morning, we'd see which were eaten and if there was any milk left. It was magical and exciting to think that Santa actually snacked on our treats! My hope is that I will get to relive that magic with my children one day. I know I will. I don't know when or how it will come to flurition, but it is going to happen. I'll get to be the one who eats the cookies my kids carefully chose for Santa. I'll get to nibble the carrots and make them think a reindeer had a snack. Most of all, I'll get to see their faces light up as they create their own fond childhood memories with this old plate and mug. But until then, I will continue to display it year after year on my shelf each holiday season all the while knowing, it will get the chance to serve its true purpose again during a Christmas yet to come.
 this was such a beautiful post with a beautiful memory. I love you.