Today seems to be a harder day for me than the past days for some reason. Maybe it's because I went to church today and allowed the worship music to penetrate my heart. For those few minutes this morning I allowed myself to be vulnerable. Or maybe it was the fact that our Senior High Youth Pastor announced that his wife is pregnant and due in February and I would have been due in March. As soon as he started telling the story of his wife meeting him in the driveway, something she never does, I knew what was coming next. My mind started racing, my first thoughts were I need to leave, just a quick trip to the bathroom or something, I can't listen to this but I was trapped on either side by several people that I didn't want to crawl over. Then I thought well I'll just sit here and not listen, I'll think of something else but my mind was blank and I could still hear his words. So I just decided to sit there and listen to the rest of his story holding back the tears. I kept thinking to myself, of all days Lord, of all days, just 6 days after all that happened I have to sit here and listen to someones pregnancy story. Then when he said the words 'she is pregnant' everyone starts awing together and all I'm thinking is ugh.... Then I'm supposed to clap in excitement??? Lord this almost seems cruel - you couldn't hold off his story for another week or two when maybe the wounds weren't so fresh and tender.
My mind started racing on the way home about the sermon and the pregnancy story. Again my first thoughts were Lord that was cruel - do you know how hard it was to sit there and listen to the excitement of our Sr. High youth pastor? Lord why of all Sunday's did you pick this Sunday for him to teach and him to share? Why did he feel the need to share that with everyone? Sure he's excited - I get it but did it have to be shared? I just kept thinking how painful those first few minutes were and how mean I thought the Lord was for that brief moment. Then I thought well of course the Lord knew how hard it was for me - you too lost a son but in a much more painful way than I did. Then it hit me that maybe I'm not as tough as I want to be. The reason for the story today was to show that to me. That inside my tough exterior of
'it is what it is' and how I feel like I just have to move past this that maybe I should allow myself to grieve. I need to allow myself to cry; that I need to be sad instead of a robot with all the perfect answers. I haven't really put my emotions out there yet and maybe because at times I'm thinking this isn't real.
Or maybe I feel like I need to be strong enough for both Michael and I so I've held myself back. Or maybe I want everyone to think I'm okay so that I can move past this quicker than I need to. But acting tough isn't working out to my advantage yet; I know people can see through me. So far it's just leaving me in a state of denial and as long as I don't say it out loud then maybe it didn't happen. I just felt the Lord put it on my heart that I needed to be sad over this - I need to allow myself to experience emotions about this. That it is okay when someone ask how I'm doing that I don't have to respond with "I'm doing good". It would be acceptable to say you know today is a hard day or I'm doing sucky right now. It's okay to grieve the loss of the baby.
As much as I wanted to come home and fall apart and just fall into Michael's lap and not move all day, I didn't. I came home and tried to dry my eyes and not let him see the tears....because remember I'm tough.... but he saw right through me. He knew something was wrong. So I told him what happened at church and my thoughts on the way home in how I'm trying to be strong for us both and it's about to kill me. He said honey - you don't need to be strong for me.... Then it hit me what,
what do you mean I don't need to be strong for you? What do you mean I don't have to worry about you? That's what I do - I worry about people and things that I have no control over. This is what I do and probably the reason for my high blood pressure - I'm a worrier. It dawned on me - he's right, I don't have to worry about him (not to sound cold hearted). Why am I worried about him and how he's taking this when I can't even look myself in the mirror and work on my own emotions. Maybe I should start there before I can move on and 'help' someone else with their own grief.
So today is a hard day. Not sure if it's just because the reality of everything is hitting me. Not sure if its because sometimes being in church it just brings out certain emotions that I can hide when not there. Or was it hard listening to the excitement our Sr. High youth pastor was feeling and for a brief moment I knew what that excitement felt like. You walk a little taller, the smiler is a little brighter, your words are a little kinder....you just overall feel good.
And then there is this horrible low - a low that is hard to comprehend, a low in which I try and hide my emotions from. If I don't let them out one day they are going to come bursting through. So I can choose to either allow those emotions to flow forth now, allow the grieving and healing process to start. Or I can put on my
'I'm a tough girl' exterior and not deal with it and then one day, weeks down the road just fall apart. I think for now I'll choose to not be the tough girl and allow myself to be more truthful about the day I'm having; good or bad - no more hiding. Regardless of the day I'm having I know my family and friends will support me. I know they will laugh me, cry with me, be sad with me/for me and together these are emotions we can share.
I feel like I'm in a 12 step program or something.... "Hi my name is Leanne, I had a miscarriage, and today is not a good day.............'