A Piece of My Heart

A piece of my heart has flooded.

Been washed away by torrential rains.

Covered in water now, drowning underneath the surface.

And a piece of my heart is breaking.

For those of you who don’t know, parts of Australia have now become a disaster area.

20,000 homes destroyed. 22 lives lost. At least 74 still missing.

Brisbane, the city I fell in love with when I was there, is effectively gone.

Never to be the same again.

I have friends there. People I care about. Places I cherish.

Like I said; a piece of my heart is there.

And now it’s all under water.

My life changed when I went to Australia.

I’ve talked about it here before, but that trip truly was a turning point for me. The moment in time when I decided that I wanted to live my life for me, and not anyone else. The defining spot where I made a decision. A decision to fight against allowing my past to destroy me. A decision to look forward. To become the kind of woman I actually wanted to be, instead of the one I had allowed myself to become.

And for the next 3 years, I did that. I worked, and played, and rebuilt.

I had the best few years of my life after that trip.

All because right there, I became aware of how much better my life could be.

If I only let it.

There have been so many times in the last few years that I have dreamed about Australia.

So many times I have decided I should simply pack my bags and move there, only to remember that the Visa situation isn’t exactly easy to navigate.

And so I have told myself someday. One day. Eventually.

I will call Australia home.

And now part of it is gone.

My bedroom is decorated with framed photos from my favorite spots there.

Spots which it is safe to assume have now been destroyed. Washed away by the floods.

A piece of my heart. Gone.

And I don’t even live there. It isn’t my home. I've only spent a few weeks of my life there.

So I cannot even comprehend what the people who do call Australia home are feeling right now.

I don’t usually use this space to advocate for causes beyond infertility and endometriosis. It really isn’t my purpose to be an advocate at all. All I have ever wanted was to be able to share my story. To be able to write about my personal experiences along this journey. To be able to share pieces of myself that maybe others could relate to.

But, this is a piece of me. It’s a piece of my heart. A piece of who I am.

A piece that is now covered in water.

And just like so many other pieces of my soul right now, this piece as well now needs to be rebuilt.

Restored fully to its natural beauty. To what it once was.

So if you would like to help, I just want to point you all in the direction of the relief organization working to bring help to these people and this land. If any of you are compelled to help in any way, this is the place to start.

Australia is easily the most beautiful place I have ever been. Full of magic and wonder.

And it needs your help. The people there need your help.

No one could have ever predicted floods like this. Rain so out of nowhere, that no one was truly prepared.

And it could happen anywhere. To any of our homes.

So I hope you’ll consider giving what you can. Reaching out to those in need over in Australia right now.

Helping to mend a piece of my heart.

The piece that is breaking for a disaster I have absolutely no control over.

And people who need our help.