Heretics' almanac

Read Yourish

Yourish seems to be a (mostly) like-minded, but much funnier, blogger.  She runs a no-Israeli-bashing zone, has eclectic political instincts, and lives somewhere near me.  I have a vague feeling I've met her somewhere, but it's unclear where.  (Maybe she's Tara's friend, but I'm not sure).

In any event, she's pretty prolific, writes well, and has a great sense of humor. 

Making things better for Hannah

Chez Miscarriage is full of foreboding on her own account and upset on behalf of friends in the same situation as her.

I've read several of the links she provides and barely resisted the temptation to jump out of a window. You'd be hard pressed to find a group of more articulate, funny, well-meaning, couragous women who would probably make great mothers. And they're all mad at lame attempts fertile people make to comfort them.

I have firsthand knowledge of infertility, and it's hard to think of anything but lame points. You want to say more than "I'm sorry," but singing "always look at the bright side of life" is offensive.

And now for something completely different

Via Allison Kaplan Sommer I came across this blog written by a woman struggling to overcome infertility. It's a blog that's evolved from the lighter side of endless medical treatments to a gut-wrenching (or rather, heart-tearing) story of bereavement.

Infertility is the kind of affliction that will typically get you sympathetic gestures, some unwelcome advice, a few insensitive remarks, but rarely the kind of outpouring of compassion this blog's writer is getting. That's in part because she's an extraordinary writer, but also because there are those of us who have had similar experiences, firsthand. In the full range of human crises and tragedies, infertility may not get a lot of attention, but when you realize how many couples put their lives, finances, happiness, and even the foundations of their marriages on the line to have children, you may get an insight as to why the human race survives.

It's not really part of this blog's theme, but I'd recommend that readers spend some time on Chez Miscarriage. Getupgrrrl - the blogwriter's nom de guerre - is a hero if there ever was one.