Semicolon

One thing about me is that I have never been a trend setter, a fad follower, and sure was never one to keep up with the latest style. I tend to be low-key, what makes me feel comfortable and, of course, what is within my morals. This applies to clothing, jewelry, music, cars, activities, body piercings, and tattoos. (I have an inner self that would love to be more into that kind of stuff, it just isn’t a priority for me!) But I have always wanted a tattoo for as long as I can remember. I just knew I did not want just any tattoo because it is a permanent fixture on my body, one that I will live with for the rest of my life.

I have always been intrigued to learn the meaning behind another person’s tattoo, what their story was to place a permanent marking on their body as a reminder of a pivotal moment in their lives. 99% of the time, someone has a meaningful story as to why they got the tattoo, the other 1%, well, you know things just happen and people just get one to get one, which is perfectly fine! It creates its own story to tell. One recurring tattoo I continued to see was the semicolon. It puzzled me and intrigued me all at the same time. So, of course, I went onto Google and searched the meaning of a semicolon tattoo, and man, did it ever resonate with me at that moment!

A semicolon is a punctuation mark used in writing to signify a longer break in a sentence, or to connect two related ideas. (If you know me, English was never my strong subject!) The more I read about the semicolon, I ran into the symbolic significance of it. It resonated so much with what I had personally gone through and what Walking Puzzled stands for. Going through the 4 miscarriages and hitting rock bottom of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and uncertainty and falling on the grace of God, to where we are today with our miracle baby, Annabelle, it made complete sense to me that a semicolon would go perfectly with the lotus flower, which is the flower in our Walking Puzzled logo. (refer to THIS BLOG post to learn more about the meaning of the lotus flower)

Going through the hardships of loss and mental health struggles, I could have chosen to end my story right then and there with a period. Meaning, my story that God has planned out for me would not have been realized. Instead, I took a long “pause”; hitting rock bottom, never giving up, even though I wanted to, kept my faith and conquered the depression, anxiety, loneliness, and uncertainty, and continued writing my story that was planned for me all along. I learned that I am the author composing sentences of my life, and I am nowhere near ready to end my story with a period. Sure, there will be many commas and semicolons left to write, but one thing will stand true: my life matters, and God has great things ahead for me and my family.

If you are currently struggling with infertility, miscarriages, infant loss, or any mental health concerns, please know that you are loved.  You are worthy. God is not finished with your story. This time of your life is a pause, it is your semicolon time, and that is okay! Embrace this time of your life and lean into what God is telling you. Be open to hearing his plans for you. God will never leave us.

A resource that I found helpful is projectsemicolon.com. You are never alone. No matter what you are going through. Hang tight. Reach out to your family and friends. Most importantly, talk to God! The time spent in the semicolon phase may feel like an eternity, but I promise, it does get better! Don’t let your story end with a period. Take the time for the longer break and connect your before story to your after story with a semicolon, not a period.

Be blessed!

XO,

Megan