Hope

Well, I'm approaching the end of another cycle. I'm certain it wasn't a successful month. But, there's always that tinge of hope, isn't there? Will that ever go away? I mean, even years from now if we aren't able to succeed in conceiving a second child...will I always hope at the end of every cycle that a pregnancy was the result?

There are many ways to define hope. To list a few...
1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
2. To have confidence; trust.
3. To look forward to with confidence or expectation.
4. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
5. Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.
6. One that is a source of or reason for hope: the team's only hope for victory.
7. often Hope Christianity The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.

I find myself very hopeful every month. Reality always bites back...and hard. I have a dear friend and cheerleader (outside of my husband) on this mission of conceiving, Cathy. She is so sweet and always seems to say exactly what I need to hear. It's like I'm running a marathon and she's on the sidelines offering me words of encouragement and sometimes a kick in the butt if I need it. She recently said to me after I saw my temps drop after ovulation, "You didn't think it would be *this* easy did you?" You know, I didn't. But, boy wouldn't that have been grand? A full month of charting and then it happens! Ha...I know that's laughable to you friends out there in IF land. But, hope...it doesn't pay attention to that kind of thing. It's always there. Always in the back of my mind pushing me on to the next month.

"But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more." -Psalm 71:14