Marriage & Infertility

May 17, 2021September 14, 2021 - The Country Wife 2 Comments

This post was originally published on April 16, 2018 and republished on May 17, 2021.

Wildland Man and I’ve been struggling with infertility for a few years now. I suppose this journey we’re on authorizes me to speak to the toll infertility can take on a marriage.

Because infertility is definitely a couples’ thing. When you are trying for a family, it doesn’t matter if the infertility can be pinpointed to one individual or not, the process of being able to conceive and carry your own child is something you deal with together.

And let’s be real, this marriage thing, it’s tough.

It’s quite possibly one of the hardest things you’ll ever do in life. It’s a constant ebb and flow of putting another’s needs in front of your own, setting aside your own selfish desires over and over again. It’s serving one another, building each other up, and encouraging instead of discouraging. It’s choosing forgiveness in anger. It’s loving through the hard times.

And infertility, well, it can make all of that…just so much harder.

(in)Fertility: All-In

May 10, 2021September 14, 2021 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

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Married by 25, check. Ready to start a family by 30, check-check. Done growing my family by 35…No check mark. Not even close. I was 36 and still not pregnant.

It seemed like everything I had planned for was falling apart. All the plans I had made, adjusting my career to follow my husband’s so that I could stay home with our babies. Setting up our entire life’s timeline around starting a family. All of this planning was a complete and utter waste.

I felt like my body had failed me. Or I had failed it. I was in the depths of the infertility valley and I was grappling with feelings of inadequacy and defeat. I felt alone in my struggles.

A Season of Rest

September 24, 2018September 22, 2018 - The Country Wife 6 Comments

This blog post has been a long time coming. I’ve been bouncing the words around in my head for several weeks now, grappling with how to get my thoughts into readable form.

You may have noticed that I haven’t been around the blog for a while. In fact, I’ve been absent from Country Wife Chronicles for almost a month now.

And while I’ll spare you all the details of exactly how I got here, I will share with you that this was not my original intention for September’s blog posts on CWC. Let me give you a glimpse into my life lately…

Get your copy of Streams in the Wasteland!

July 2, 2018July 9, 2018 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

Hello my friends!

I just want to start this beautiful Monday by saying, “Thank you for being here!”

I know that this Streams in the Wasteland talk has been going on and on it seems, and it has kinda taken forever to get here. But we’ve made it, Streams in the Wasteland: 31 Days of Devotions for Finding Hope in Hardship is finally available for downloading!

You’ve been so patient in your waiting that I wanted to take just one more moment here on CWC to give you the full deets on all things Streams in the Wasteland before things get back to normal around here.

Streams in the Wasteland: Companion Resources

June 25, 2018July 9, 2018 - The Country Wife 2 Comments

Well, I feel like the book launch is officially underway…because Streams in the Wasteland will be available for downloading later this week!

This whole idea of me writing an eBook is still a bit crazy to me…I mean, I wrote a devotional, y’all.

As I was working through Streams in the Wasteland, I realized that some companion resources could be really helpful for your devotional time. So that is what we are going to take a quick look at today.

Streams in the Wasteland: A New Thing!

June 11, 2018July 9, 2018 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

All right, y’all…how many of you plan to download and read Streams in the Wasteland?

I hope to get Steams in the Wasteland in all your hands very soon and I just wanted to take a moment to remind you that this little devotional eBook will be FREE for the taking! All you need to do is sign up at the end of this blog post and I’ll be sending Streams in the Wasteland straight to your email inbox once it is ripe for the picking!

Streams in the Wasteland: Why Did I Write this Devotional?

May 28, 2018July 9, 2018 - The Country Wife 2 Comments

Streams in the Wasteland is comprised of two stories…two very different stories.

There’s Graci’s story: a battle with ovarian cancer.

And then there’s mine: a valley of infertility.

The common ground we share in our two stories is our faith, our hope in the hardship.

I wrote Streams in the Wasteland to honor Graci’s life and share her story with more women around the world. But I also wrote this devotional to help you find hope in the hardships that life is bringing you.

Streams in the Wasteland: An Introduction {Graci’s Story}

May 14, 2018July 9, 2018 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

Last week I shared with you the exciting news that is my latest creation, Streams in the Wasteland—my first “official” devotional eBook!

Streams in the Wasteland is a 31-day devotional aimed at finding hope in the hardships of life. With the intertwining of two deeply personal stories of hardship and heartache, one of a battle with ovarian cancer, another with infertility; this devotion explores searching for hope on the dark days.

Strengthening Your Marriage: 5 Ways to Reconnect

June 12, 2017June 19, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

The next few weeks here at Country Wife Chronicles are all about marriage. I decided to write a whole series on “Strengthening Your Marriage.”

Not because I’m an expert or anything. Not because I know all there is to know about marriage. Not because Wildland Man and I have endured the deepest of depths in a lifelong marriage.

No, I’m not an expert. Or a counselor. I certainly don’t know it all, because I’m constantly trying to figure it out. Over and over again. Day after day. It is an intentional effort on my part to make this marriage not only work, but be great.

5 More Tips for Taking Back the Sabbath

March 6, 2017April 2, 2017 - The Country Wife Leave a comment

In my original post, “Taking Back the Sabbath,” I shared how establishing boundaries in my life that included guarding the Sabbath as a holy and restful experience was a critical factor in my shift to slow down. I spoke of my struggles to balance work and home life and suggested 5 tips to help you take back the Sabbath in your home.

Today I’m sharing 5 more tips with you that I hope you will find helpful and inspiring when it comes to taking back the Sabbath in your own life.