Emily Richey is a graduate of Pace University NYC. She has written and edited for multiple online platforms, including Love What Matters. She spends her free time petting stray cats.
‘We saw the beautiful face of a precious 2-year-old. It was as if our souls knew, deep down, she was ours. We said YES.’: Couple shares international adoption story, ‘It’s surreal’
“We were presented with an opportunity. For some reason, we felt hesitation in our gut. ‘Why wouldn’t we do this?’ Exactly one year later, God birthed a new dream.”
‘My daughter is 4 and a half, and she’s never called me mom.’: Autism mom shares ‘highs and lows’ of motherhood
“I’m crushed when other children ask her to play and she turns her back without a word. She may be a non-speaker, but she gives the tightest hugs and the biggest belly laughs.”
‘I’m so sorry. This isn’t fair.’ My tumor was the most beautiful gift I’d ever received.’: Brain cancer warrior says ‘I’m more alive than I’ve ever been’
“Despite professional success, I was miserable. I was clinically depressed, unhappy, and facing a failing marriage. My tumor was the most beautiful gift I’d ever received.”
‘We’ve got a baby who needs a home.’ I couldn’t take my eyes off him. His fingers curled around mine, like he already knew who I was.’: Mom shares ‘bittersweet’ fostering journey
“As soon as I took one look at the tiny baby, it was all over for me. I was in love. I’m a mom, so I know what a mother’s love feels like. I never expected to feel that kind of love for a complete stranger.”
‘The doctor pulled up my MRI. ‘Are you sure you want to see it? It’s big.’ It was a fear I’d never felt before.’: Woman with brain cancer urges ‘love your body through the good and difficult’
“My migraines began with a small blurry spot. This blur got bigger and bigger until I couldn’t see anything. ‘Get to an emergency room now!’ I couldn’t believe my ears.”
‘I awoke to my husband’s screams. ‘Wake up, Kara isn’t breathing!’ In the blink of an eye, she was gone.’: Mom loses daughter to SIDS, starts foundation in her honor
“I’d never feel those soft baby hairs, the heat of her being alive. I’d never see her smile again. The pain was so severe I thought I’d die.”
‘A crowbar came through the windshield and struck him in the head.’ When he died, a bit of me died too.’: Grieving daughter turns to cooking therapy
“I was hungry to keep his legacy alive, starving for people to recognize my loss. The casseroles stop coming before the grieving has even begun.”
‘Would the gray hair accentuate every crinkle and wrinkle on my face?’ I hesitantly stepped forward into the magic.’: Pro-aging woman shares self-love journey
“We don’t need to look like we’re in our twenties… We’ve already been there, done that! We can be sexy and carefree while stepping into our second half of life.”
‘I got pregnant on a one-night stand with a guy I barely knew. I had zero respect for my body or myself.’: Woman shares celibacy journey, ‘I’m taking my body back’
“If I wanted to sleep with a man who wasn’t my boyfriend, I did just that. Sex became another drug for me. I drank to oblivion to erase the shame.”
‘Why do I feel the need to cover this up?’ I decided this was it. I went to the hairdresser, one last time.’: Woman embraces natural grays, ‘This journey is about more than hair’
“Just because a woman has grey hair doesn’t mean they have ‘let themselves go.’”