Finding Joy in Love, Family, and Life: The Story of My Heart’s Journey, Suffice it to say, my childhood and adolescence were filled with trauma and angst. In my early twenties, however, I met a wonderful man who changed everything. He was the first person to truly listen and care about me. As stories of my past spilled from my lips like a waterfall, he continued to listen patiently. Slowly, I began to smile more and laugh often. My heart fluttered every time we saw each other, and before long, we became each other’s best friends. Even when apart, we spent hours on the phone, sharing our feelings and dreams Our friendship natural.

Suffice it to say, my childhood and adolescence were filled with trauma and angst. In my early twenties, however, I met a wonderful man who changed everything. He was the first person to truly listen and care about me. As stories of my past spilled from my lips like a waterfall, he continued to listen patiently. Slowly, I began to smile more and laugh often. My heart fluttered every time we saw each other, and before long, we became each other’s best friends. Even when apart, we spent hours on the phone, sharing our feelings and dreams.

Our friendship naturally blossomed into romance, and two years later, we were engaged. Ten months after that, we were married. We moved away from our childhood cities for work and began building our life together. We continued to talk, and whenever issues arose, we worked through them peacefully. He was my beloved, and I was his. Life was full of love and laughter, and everything seemed to be falling into place.

Eventually, the topic of starting a family came up. After a difficult childhood, I had always been hesitant about having children. I told my husband this before we got married, and he accepted it. But after years of therapy and a ticking biological clock, I began to feel ready. My husband, who had always dreamed of children, was thrilled but had never pressured me. He knew I would make the decision when I was ready.