Seasons greetings! It’s tradition in many parts of the world during Advent to send Christmas cards to friends and family members with wishes of joy, comfort and peace. This year at The Fruitful Hollow we wanted to send you all a personal holiday greeting. Our mission at The Fruitful Hollow is to help couples carry the cross of infertility with grace and purpose. This mission means that we pray daily for each of you and you’ve become an important part of our spiritual family. In this blog you will find a personal note from individual Fruitful Hollow team members. Please share your family's Christmas card back with us on social media. ‘Tis the season!
Lauren Allen, Director and Founder
My family is in a season of busy hustle and bustle and some days it feels like I’m just surviving. This Advent I’ve tried to slow down and be intentional with my prayer time. The ultimate Christmas gift is the gift of God on Earth: Jesus. Jesus who is yearning to encounter me and encounter you. I’ve been thinking about the legend of St Anthony of Padua. He was said to have met Christ in his infancy and is often depicted in statue form holding baby Jesus.
What would it be like to hold Christ in our arms and attend to him as Mary did?
What would it be like to attend to him in the midst of the hustle and turmoil that we often find ourselves in?
This advent season, I’m praying that each of you will encounter the joy of meeting baby Jesus once again and find the space amidst the chaos to form an even deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ.
Katie S., Managing Editor
This year was a special one for my family. After many years of infertility and loss, I finally gave birth to a baby girl. Over the years, when I was in the trenches of infertility, there were often times when the sadness of my situation would cause me to ask God: “what did I do to deserve this?” Whilst I knew that infertility is never a punishment for our sins, it certainly felt like one. I would read comments on pregnancy announcements that said things like “No one deserves this as much as you two!” and it would cut so deep. I felt so left behind.
Now, as I adjust to life with a baby and all its joys and challenges, I often ask God, in moments of overwhelming gratitude: “What did I do to deserve this?” And I know that the answer is the same as when I asked that in the past: nothing. I don't deserve this. I didn't deserve the deep suffering of infertility and I don't deserve the blessing of a child. It is pure gift and I will never take it for granted. I will always use those moments of joy to send up a prayer for those still waiting: those close to me and those I've never met; those working hard to grow their family and those working hard to make peace with their current family situation. Please be assured of my most heartfelt prayers this Christmas.
C. Janae Parke, Secretary
Reflecting on this year has somewhat left me speechless. A mix of the greatest joys and the lowest lows, and God showing His love throughout it all.
It’s been almost 2 years of being with the most amazing man and developing that beautiful relationship. Obviously infertility is part of that journey, but I have been so grateful for hiking adventures together and cooking the best warm meals as the weather cools. But also being comforted when a pregnancy or birth announcement happens, and knowing how much I am loved and how much he loves me. The holidays don’t hurt as much because he’s there to make me smile and to be ok when a smile can no longer grace my lips.
As the days grow darker, it can be easy to get lost in the hopelessness that comes with the short time in the light. It’s hard to appreciate your friends or family when you're busy recovering from being at a kid's birthday party or baby shower where everyone talks about kids and pregnancy. But then I think about some of the good times this year: hiking to see a sunrise, or dying laughing over an inside joke, or playing Codenames on your phone with a long-distance friend when you’re home alone. It’s like a blanket wrapped around you when you’re shivering from the cold.
Going into this advent season. I’m going to choose to see the light in the midst of the winter storm. Even if it’s the flicker of light from the tiniest candle, you have to look at the light. There’s a reason why so many stories and parable in the Bible include candles or lamps: God wants to be your light. Maybe your Advent, Christmas and New Year be one of the gentlest, warmest, light from the One who is Love. Praying for you!
Ellen Hong, Resource Coordinator
During this Advent and Christmas season, let us remember that the Christmas story is all about Jesus coming to people exactly where they were: shepherds remained shepherds, Mary and Joseph remained a poor family, and the town of Bethlehem remained a little town with not quite enough lodging. In the same way, remember Jesus comes to you this Christmas wherever and however you are. If you are burdened with grief, wrestling with bitterness, struggling with your faith, or navigating challenging holiday gatherings, remember Jesus meets you too, right where you are. May His peace, light and love fill your heart this Christmas, and bring you many graces for the year ahead.
Rachel Walters, Social Media Coordinator
Christmas has always held a special place in my heart. I cherish the memories of decorating the tree, each ornament a story, the lights shimmering like stars. It was during this magical season that my now husband gave me a promise ring on December 23, 2011. Two years later, on Christmas Eve, he got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, making the holiday even more meaningful for us.
However, in the years that followed, the glow of the season dimmed for me. The journey through infertility cast long shadows over the festivities. The anticipation and celebration of Christ’s birth during Advent and Christmas become a stabbing reminder of my own waiting. There were times when the thought of putting up the tree felt too heavy, and so I didn’t. But over the last two years, something began to change within me. I started to reflect on what it truly means to “wait with hope”. I’ve found solace in the words of Galatians 4:4: "But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman." This verse opened my eyes to the perfection of God’s timing. Just as the world awaited the birth of Jesus, I came to understand that my own period of waiting is tenderly held in His hands.
To anyone who finds this season difficult, know that your waiting is seen and your hope is shared. Let’s wait with hope together, trusting that in the fullness of time, God’s plan for each of us will unfold beautifully. Wishing you peace and renewed hope this Christmas.
Kristin D., Sisters of Hannah Coordinator
This year, I am moved with hope, peace, and gratitude. It is amazing to me how time and circumstances provide both challenges and opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Sometimes, it can feel like walking through the dark and trying to find my way through life with tunnel vision but God, in His love, has afforded me just enough light to see my next step. I am amazed by the strength I find taking just one more step, trusting in the light that helps me move from moment to moment. I’ve spent a lot of time in my ministry this year, leaning into the Holy Spirit and giving room for God to work in my life. I pray for you, my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, that you may be filled with the utter fullness of God, a joy and peace that transcends your experiences, that deepens your awareness of your belovedness in God’s eyes. At times, faith or trust may be shaken, but God is patient with us in our trials. No circumstances in this fallen world can take away the immense affection that the Holy Spirit has for you. Time and time again, I can see the gentle hand of the Holy Spirit guiding me, and it is my prayer you can take hold of the hand outstretched to you, wherever you are on your journey. My prayer for you is that you may be renewed in your inner self, may find some peace and hope on your journey, and satisfaction in your efforts, personal, spiritual and otherwise.
In gratitude for our readers, Sisters of Hannah mentees, Liz, our wonderful Sisters of Hannah scheduler, our amazing mentor team, and our faithful writers and admin team: thank you! We love you and are praying for you and your loved ones. May Mary, our blessed mother, intercede for you with hopeful expectation that her Son’s passionate love will manifest in your life and give you peace!
Liz Mtunga, Sisters of Hannah Administrative Assistant
This year marks my 8th Christmas in Tanzania, and I won’t lie, it’s taken me some time to truly embrace the “Christmas spirit” here. Growing up in Ohio, I loved everything about the holiday season: the festive build-up from Thanksgiving, the drives around our town looking at the Christmas lights, and, of course, the cold weather, and hopefully, a magical snowfall on Christmas Eve.
Tanzania, however, offers a different kind of Christmas. There’s little build-up in the weeks leading up to the holiday, few homes are decorated, and instead of snow, we have sunshine and heat! Christmas here didn’t match the image I had in my head, and for several years, it kept me from fully enjoying the season.
This idea of life not looking the way I thought it would has been a recurring theme for me this year. After trying for a second child for almost four years now, I never imagined that secondary infertility would be part of my story. I always pictured several children waking up on Christmas morning, eagerly gathering around the tree. While I am deeply grateful for my son, the ache for more children remains, and this Christmas will carry that same longing.
This Advent season I’ve been thinking about Mary as she prepared for the birth of Jesus. She must have also had moments when life didn’t look the way she expected. Imagine being the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, and needing to take a long, arduous journey to Bethlehem, only to give birth in a stable, surrounded by animals. It’s hardly the grand entrance you’d anticipate for a King. Yet Mary and Joseph chose to trust God, even in the unexpected moments. This Christmas, I pray we can all release the expectations we’ve placed on our lives and lean into trusting God. He is at work, even when things look different from what we imagined. In the here and now, and in the days to come, we can rest in the peace of knowing He is always with us. He has not forgotten us and is writing a story far greater than we can see. Wishing you all a joyous and peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Gillyan McCabe, Sister of Hannah
2024 started off with yet another new address, followed by four months apart from my husband while he trained with the army, another cross-country drive, another home renovation, and somehow still more family time than we’ve had in years. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be closer to our village, even if it’s only part-time. God is so good, even in the hard. We didn’t welcome any new family members this year, and for that my heart will always hurt a little. But boy did the blessings flow elsewhere! We have made some wonderful memories in our new home and set ourselves up for even more in the future. Focusing on the consolations has been a consolation in itself. I find myself finding gratitude in the small things: fellowship within our parish, an outing with a girlfriend, a meeting with a Sisters of Hannah mentee, a rosary with our Fruitful Hollow community. Just last night I brought all of you, our readers and followers, to an evening of music and prayer. At the feet of Jesus and his most blessed mother, I left all of our petitions, our hopes and dreams, our sufferings and desires. This holiday season, I hope you feel seen and heard by God and those around you. My Christmas wish is that you know of my prayers for you, wherever you are on your fertility journey. God has not forgotten you, and neither have we. God bless.
Serenity Quesnelle, Creative Team Member
This year has been a year of surrender and hope for our family. It’s been incredible to see the way the Lord has worked in my life and yet, it still felt so heavy. While in the depths of infertility, I often imagined that “when we have a baby, everything will be ok” and that’s just been hilariously inaccurate. Becoming a mother has been every bit as beautiful as I dreamed, but the hard and the beautiful ebb and flow together.
In June I was pregnant with our second child and I went into labor five weeks early, causing my son Malachi to need a 31-day NICU stay. Hope and surrender.
It was a whirlwind of emotions and honestly, I’m still not sure my husband and I have actually dealt with all the feelings that came along with that chapter of our lives but I can tell you that we so deeply surrendered everything to the Lord: our baby’s life, our home, our marriage, our 2 year-old son and our 8 year-old nephew who was with us the entire time. I’ve come to realize that one of the most powerful ways to experience the Lord’s love is through complete surrender. It’s in those moments of uncertainty — when we let go of our control and place our trust in His promises — that we feel His presence most strongly. Hope doesn’t always come wrapped in certainty, but in trust. It comes from surrendering everything.
“‘Test me in this’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven for you, and pour down upon you blessing without measure.’” (Malachi 3:10)
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