This episode has discussion of IVF and miscarriage, but it is a joyful episode with a wonderful

guest. I just wanted to give you the heads up.

Growing up in rural Oklahoma, Christy always wanted to be a mother.

I always wanted kids. I knew I always wanted kids. I loved kids.

She knew how her family did things. The plan was simple. Love, marriage, baby carriage.

I am easily a hopeless romantic, or at least was my childhood, I would say. I have parents that

are middle school sweetheart.

They've never dated anyone else.

And in fact, my mother's parents were like grade school sweethearts.

And if you want to know how like storybook my grandparents' story is,

my grandpa rode a horse to school and would come pick up my grandma and take her to school.

So I come from a long line of romantics, you could say.

But Christy's story winds up being not so linear.

It's not as simple as dating, falling in love, getting married, and then having children.

It turns out to be much more complicated than that.

But I remember thinking, if I don't get back together with my ex,

and if I'm this old and I'm not with someone, I'm going to do it on my own.

From the Boston Globe, this is Love Letters.

I'm Meredith Goldstein.

Thank you. This is Love Letters. I have never wanted kids.

I used to wonder if the feeling might grab hold of me one day,

but it never happened. That said, I've been surrounded by women who wanted children. I've had many

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