Cross Pollination Day!!

Today is cross pollination today. I'm afraid I can't display the jazzy bee icon because I'm at work and my work won't let me into Goehde's site. Too many rude words it would seem. Who'd have thought it?!
If you can't guess who the host writer is then follow this link to find out.

Today I am a guest blog writer here. It's Cross Pollination Day! I thought I would take this opportunity to answer the question I posed to the group for the last book tour - Happiness Sold Separately.
When I began visiting other blogs and reading responses I was surprised to see that nearly everyone had answered my question - which I thought was pretty cool. It was my first book tour and I wasn't sure my question was even any good, but apparently it really got people thinking. So, I wanted to share with everyone where it came from.
I have quite a few infertility books, and I keep them on my bookshelf, but when my family or friends come to visit, I always take them off the bookshelf and put them in my bedroom, or at least turn them around so no one can read what they are. I don't really know why I do this. Everyone we know knows what we have been through. But for some reason I still feel a twinge (or more) of embarrassment for not being able to do something that seems so simple, something so many other people do without thinking about it. I'm actually ashamed of myself for feeling this way though because I know that I am helping to keep infertility and pregnancy loss topics that people just don't discuss. I don't want to do that anymore. This is such a lonely and isolating experience that I hate to think about someone else feeling the pain I have felt and not having anyone to talk to about it.
I understand what many of you expressed about it being a private matter that you don't want to discuss and I completely respect that. But for myself, I feel differently now. I used to feel that way too - it was and is a personal matter. But I now feel a really strong need to share my story, my knowledge, my experiences, to help people better understand infertility and people who face it each day.
My goal for myself is to make an effort to not hide my infertility, to not be embarrassed that I couldn't carry my baby for a full-term, to share information with people at appropriate times so that I can help to educate people about these things. I began volunteering for RESOLVE in my area, even though it really hasn't taken off yet here. But I will keep at it and hopefully one day there will be more of a presence. I shared my story with someone the other day whose daughter is just starting fertility treatments. (I heard this through the grapevine) It was difficult to do, to explain to someone who doesn't understand, and of course she said all the "normal" things like not trying so hard and we'll end up with 8 babies using fertility medication, but it was good. I offered my help should her daughter need someone to talk to, to help with shots, or questions. It definitely made me feel less embarrassed of my own situation and I think it may help her better understand what her daughter is going through too.
I want to help to increase the amount of empathy in this world, to make infertility a subject so important to everyone that it gets the attention it deserves from politicians, employers, etc., and to help at least one other person from feeling the isolation that I've felt.
So, that was my motivation for the question. I really enjoyed reading everyone's responses to it. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me.