A sweet friend of mine carefully and thoughtfully this week told me she is pregnant. She wanted to tell me in person because she knows that’s something I also want in my own life.
A lot of my friends are pregnant or taking care of infants and toddlers. It’s that time in life for many of us.
I am not pregnant. Not because I don’t want to be, but because it’s not as easy for some people as others.
I’ve had friends who got pregnant in what seemed like an instant. I have people I love who never planned to be pregnant at all.
And I’ve had people very close to me who were devastated to learn they never would conceive. And I’ve seen them climb out of that despair and build families in their own perfect and wonderful ways.
The journey is different for everyone and that’s okay.
This is not about the sadness, loneliness or absolute depression that can come from the struggle for so many women.
And it’s not about giving up.
This is about joy.
Right here, right now there’s just one thing I want to address, not as your friend who may not have as easy of a road toward motherhood as you had, but simply as your friend.
Share the news.
Don’t hide it. Don’t worry that you may come across as insensitive. You won’t.
There is no wrong way to tell that friend that you’re pregnant.
She’s your friend. She loves you. As much as she wants the same thing to happen in her own life, she’s no less thrilled that it’s happening in yours.
So share the news.
Understand that her own hopes for a family don’t diminish her excitement for you in this beautiful and cool time.
There’s too darn much going wrong in the world not to share such joy.
Elizabeth LaFleur 