We Met Online

In case you didn't know, my husband and I met online.  Long before internet dating became all the rage we connected in an AOL chat room.  And the rest is history.  Mostly good history.  ;o) 

I chatted with a lot of people (okay, I'll admit they were mostly guys!) before I met Scott, so online relationships are not new to me.  Most of my online interactions were positive, as I used good judgment and was appropriately cautious.  This was a totally new world for me, and little did I know that chat rooms were just the beginning of my new online experience.  Soon I was regularly emailing with my friends, eventually I started blogging, then came Facebook, and now I'm back to blogging again.  But there's one little detail I'm leaving out of this timeline... 

A year ago August, I found myself at a very crucial point in my struggle with infertility.  Scott and I had been trying to start a family for several years, and we'd finally come to the realization that this wasn't going to happen for us without medical intervention.  I honestly don't know why it took so long to face this reality, since I'd already had two surgeries behind me at that point (and it was probably good that I didn't know there were 3 more to come).  It was during this very difficult time in my life that God led me to the online community forums at Hannah's Prayer Ministries (HP). 

In the beginning, my interactions at HP were limited.  I was recovering from major surgery and getting ready to start a new job, so establishing myself in this online community wasn't my top priority.  I gradually began exploring more, and soon I realized that I had found an invaluable resource and a tremendous new support system.  As much as I love my IRL (in real life) friends -- and I do have some absolutely amazing friends!! -- nobody can truly understand the struggles of being infertile unless they have experienced it themselves. 

Honestly, I would have been 100% content if resources and support was all I got out of HP.  But somewhere along the line, something else started developing that I never saw coming.  Friendships.  Deep, real friendships, with women I'd never even met (although I have met some of them at this point, and there are others that I desperately want to meet!).  I'm not sure why it surprised me so much that I could establish these kinds of friendships online, especially since that's how I met my husband, but before I knew it I was crying with those who were hurting, praying fervently for specific needs of various individuals, and laughing myself silly over stories we shared with each other.  It amazed me how we could connect so closely with just the common bonds of Christ and infertility. 

I could go on, but suffice it to say that HP has made a huge difference in my life this past year, and I can't imagine going through all of the struggles I've been through without those amazing women by my side. I feel like I am a better person today than I was a year ago, which is only by the grace of God. I am closer to Him than I have been in years and HP has been very instrumental in that process.

This journey has in no way been easy.  Far from it.  There are plenty of days when I want to curl up in a ball and ignore the world.  But HP has made it just a touch easier.  It's hard to put into words just how much this ministry means to me.  Let's just say if I had to choose between the online communities of HP and Facebook, HP would win hands down.  And that's saying a lot coming from a Facebook junkie like me.  ;o)  God knew exactly what I needed when He guided me to that community.  And even if I never have children, this journey was completely worth it just to meet these amazing ladies.  I love you, girls.  <3

-E