Exactly 21 months ago we were in Brazil for my cousin’s wedding. I have not seen Cristina since she got in the limo the night of her wedding and drove off.

I am very excited because today at 4pm, she and her husband, Marcio, will arrive here! Even though the time spent together is only a fraction of the time we have been apart, we are very close, and I am so grateful to have this time with her this week and to be able to get to know Marcio better.

Saturday afternoon my great aunt (Aunt Helen) died at the age of 89. Last October on her 89th birthday she announced that she did not want to live to be 90. Aunt Helen lived a good life of service to the Lord.

Tomorrow my parents, Grandmother, Cristina, Marcio and me will travel to North Carolina to attend her funeral. Dave can not go because of his work so he will stay behind and take care of Puppy and Ellie. We will return on Wednesday after the funeral. So if I am MIA over the next couple of days on this blog…you’ll know why.

*****

I’ll definitely be on here at some point to let you know the results of the IUI. I’m still planning to not go in for blood work on Friday, so I may not know anything until Monday.

At this time, making a decision of “what’s next”, should the results of this IUI be the same as the previous ones, is quite possibly the most overwhelming decision we’ve had to make thus far on this journey.

The obvious big question is … Do we try IVF again?

There are so many factors that go into making this decision. I’m not going to get into them right now.

I am just once again asking people to please pray heavily that God would clearly make known what our next step is to be.

Can I just say that I am tired of all this? Tired of … everything. But when I step back and attempt to look at the big picture and what God is doing, it helps.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a season of my life, not my life. I know one day I will look back on this season and see the purpose.

When I step away from the heartache and pain and see all this for the way God sees it, I am deeply encouraged. I am encouraged to know that God is working in ways, at this time, we cannot see. I am encouraged because I know God is using these circumstances of my life to accomplish His plan. I am encouraged because I know God is receiving glory. I am encouraged because, even though Satan attempts to destroy me, he is defenseless because I am shielded with the armor of God. I am encouraged because so many people have rallied together through prayer. And mostly, I am encouraged because I know one day this story God is writing through my life will come to a beautiful ending … and a new story will begin.

- Elaine