Welcome to May is for Mamas where every episode this month is dedicated to all the mamas out there. Today is a special one because I'm having my best friends since ninth grade, who also happens to be my sister-in-law—yes, it's crazy—we ended up marrying brothers on my podcast as my guest. Her name is Samantha Ray, and she is a writer, creator, mother, and my dearest friend, living in Wake Forest, North Carolina, with her husband, John, daughter, Griffin, and their three kitties.

She is a writer in every sense of the word. She writes about slow living, pursuing a whole healthful lifestyle, including relational and emotional health. And she has never been afraid to dig into the deeper grittier issues of life, which is why she's here today. She's also a beautiful songwriter and musician. She's gifted in so many ways. I adore her and she always has this profound belief that there's beauty to be found in the messy, the undone, the less photo-worthy moments of life. And it's always worthwhile to dig for the gold, right where you are. Now, Sam and I have been friends for a long, long time.

Today we are diving into one of the most difficult seasons of our friendship, the season of five years where she was walking through infertility and I had three babies. The tension, the heartache, and the hope that we felt was very real and we're sharing that today, and Sam specifically is sharing her story. And as she does, she's very honest, very real. She gives a lot of great practical advice and a huge dose of hope and healing for anyone walking through infertility.

I'm just so honored to share today's podcast episode with you, because what it feels like for me is a precious gift that I'm giving to you, that you can hear Sam's heart and her story. And it feels like we are sharing this really vulnerable part of our journey together as friends and sisters with you.

For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/114.