Browsing Articles Written by

Sheila Matthews

Apart from undertaking all things vicar wifeish, Sheila enjoys spending her days drinking coffee with friends, cuddling cats, laughing until she cries, reading books and dreaming of exotic holidays. She was once a primary school teacher and may well be again. Sheila loves being a part of the Saltwater & Honey family and having the chance to share her journey through infertility.

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The Mothering Sunday Conundrum

By On 9 March 2022

Dear Church, I love you. I want to say that right from the start. If I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t bother writing about this. I would be content to let the day pass and the pain, mixed messages, discomfort that so many of your sisters and brothers feel about this day could be overlooked. But, I love you and I…

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When do you stop?

By On 9 February 2021

There are no words today for what took place. If I could explain it to you in a way that may convey the magnitude, I would say an earthquake of the heart was felt. The tremors reverberate and everything shakes but the foundations seem to be staying firm. Today a line was drawn in the sand. The scene will be…

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Seasons of Life

By On 9 December 2019

Milestones are something I appreciate. They aren’t always good milestones but they are markers which often help me rebalance and refocus. Recently, we hit the milestone of a year in our new home. A new job. A new season of life. One year on, I can’t help looking back whilst we begin looking forward to Christmas and enjoy the season…

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A Leap of Faith

By On 14 May 2019

Over the last few months, Lizzie and I have been waiting and hoping on something new and special. We entered a podcast competition run by the BBC. It was called the Rachael Bland podcast award and they were looking for people who had something to say on a topic that they felt needed talking about. We felt we had something…

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Take Up Your Space

By On 13 March 2019

Looking back, I don’t really have many regrets. I was never particularly wild as a teenager. I wasn’t overly cautious either so I tended to participate in the things I wanted to do. Perhaps there are some boys in my past that I wished I had kissed. Or some occasions where I missed a chance to put myself forward for…

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New Year, Same Me

By On 3 January 2019

I am an enneagram type 4. This won’t mean a lot to many people but if you know, you know. I have big feelings. So, when a year draws to close and a new one begins, I fall into a reflective mood. Perhaps I should backtrack a little. In the last few months I have said goodbye to the part…

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A painful ending and a new beginning

By On 6 September 2018

Re-imagining what life looks like when confronted by childlessness and infertility is a common theme throughout Saltwater and Honey. We are so grateful to guest blogger Sue who is sharing her personal story below. A few weeks ago, I had a full hysterectomy – everything out – tubes, ovaries and womb.  Nothing that unusual in this, it is an operation…

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Encountering Secondary Infertility

By On 12 December 2017

I’m writing this from my single room in a retreat house in the heart of Essex. I’ve just had dinner with a nun, a Rector and a saintly old lady from Suffolk. I am a fish out of water. Going on retreat has been a longing of mine for a while. I’m here for 24 hours after blackmailing Elis into…

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Can friendship survive infertility?

By On 31 October 2017

He that is thy friend indeed, He will help thee in thy need: If thou sorrow, he will weep; If thou wake, he cannot sleep: Thus of every grief in heart He with thee doth bear a part. These are certain signs to know Faithful friend from flattering foe. William Shakespeare – The Passionate Pilgrim One of the focuses of…

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